The Hardest Part of Love
by LANIKI
Summary: Sequel to my story Now & Forever.  House & Marianne  established relationship  watch Michael leave Princeton to help others.  Drama, adventure, sadness, angst & joy to follow. Not required to read the first story, but recommended.  Rated for adult themes.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a sequel to my story Now and Forever. You don't have to read that first, but you might not understand everything that happened. If you don't feel like it, message me and I'll send you a brief summary. This is different from my other stories and is not totally House-centric, so I hope my regular readers won't be disappointed. But, hey, give it a shot. I'll understand if you're not into it. Not much smut in this one, but there is drama and adult themes. Thanks for taking a look!**

**Louise**

Chapter 1

Gregory House had never really believed in a "perfect" life. He certainly had never believed that he would ever have one. Or even that he could be happy.

But somehow he had found himself in what most – including himself - would consider a perfect life.

He had been reunited with his high school sweetheart and they were now married. Marianne was smart, sexy, sweet and madly in love with him.

The son he had not known that Marianne had bore him was a doctor and worked on his team. Michael was on his way to being as smart as his father and House was unable to believe how much this young man meant to him.

Michael was married to Alison Cameron, a woman who House respected as a doctor and a person, despite her former crush on him. Well, the woman had taste. And those House genes just got to her.

And most precious to his life was the granddaughter that Michael and Alison had produced. He understood what the term "light of my life" meant. This child was amazing.

Of course there was his job. Solving his medical puzzles made the work interesting and kept him stimulated.

And his best friend, James Wilson was married to his boss, Lisa Cuddy, so that helped him get his way at work.

Okay, his leg still hurt, but he had found alternatives to Vicodin to keep the pain in check and had also managed to avoid the problems that the drug could have caused him. Mostly because of his relationship with Marianne, but also because he had reasons to not become a mental or physical mess.

So if he added all of that together, his life was certainly bordering on perfect. He wouldn't admit that out loud or that he was happy, but he felt contentment deep inside that he had never felt before.

Which is how he knew something had to go wrong.

It started innocently enough. He came home from the hospital one day to find Marianne cooking. Not that it was unusual for her to cook, as she was an excellent cook and enjoyed cooking for him and everyone else.

But normally, for just the two of them, she made simple meals and only enough food to satisfy her husband's hunger.

That night she was making much larger quantities, which told House that they were having company. As it was an unannounced party, he assumed it was their son and his family.

"Michael coming for dinner?" he asked, putting his arms around her waist from the back.

She leaned back and turned her head to give him a brief kiss. "Yes, they're coming. He called me earlier today."

"He didn't tell me."

"Were you in your office this afternoon?"

He considered that. "No, not really."

"Well, then."

He nodded and thought about it. "Why are they coming?"

"Does he have to have a reason?"

"No, but if he called and invited himself and his hangers on, there usually is a reason."

Marianne shrugged. "He said they have something to tell us."

"Hmmm."

She looked at him with excited eyes. "Do you think Alison could be pregnant again?"

"Nope."

"Well, how would you know?"

"I can tell. Last time, her boobs got bigger and she was all weepy all the time."

"That doesn't mean…"

"Trust me, she's not pregnant."

Marianne wanted to argue the point, but she realized it would be pointless. Her husband was probably right. He was always right, the damn man. And anyway, Michael and Alison would be there within the hour and they would find out, so why bother?

House was curious, but not concerned. Michael was smart and his little family was insanely happy. Somehow the teddy bear softness of Cameron was perfect for his son who didn't have the cynical mind that House had. They worked.

They probably bought a new car or something. They were such suburban yuppies, they got excited about things like that. He wasn't concerned.

Two hours later…

"What the hell kind of crazy idea is that?" House demanded of his son and daughter-in-law.

"It's what we want to do." Michael told him. "We've been thinking about it for a long time."

"You're both successful, smart doctors. Why would you want to go to some third world country and treat people that still piss and shit in their own drinking water?"

"House, that's not…" Alison began, but her former boss interrupted her.

"Oh, come on, you know that's true. I can see some first year doctors doing this, but not doctors like you!"

"And that's the problem with the world!" Michael countered. "Doctors like us and all of the others at Princeton Plainsboro are so comfortable in their nice soft suburban lifestyles and they never give back to those in need."

"You enjoy your suburban lifestyle too!" House countered.

"Yes, I do. But that doesn't mean I don't care about other people. Dad, this is something we've wanted to do since before we were married. But then the baby surprised us and we had to put it on hold. But we realize if we don't do it now, we'll never have the opportunity and we'll really regret that."

House latched on to one thing his son had said and ignored the rest. "That's right! What about the baby? You can't take her there with all those diseases."

"Actually," Alison said, "We can take her. Lots of the Americans do bring their children with them."

"Cameron, she's already had a lot of ear infections and bronchitis. Her immune system isn't the strongest. You're an immunologist, you should know that."

Alison looked at Michael. House could see unsaid words pass between the couple. "What?" he asked.

"Well," Michael began, "Actually, we were sort of hoping, we could leave her here with you guys."

Marianne had been silent so far, but she perked up at that. "Leave the baby with us?"

"No." House said. "No way. You brought the kid into the world and you're responsible for her."

"And you're crazy about her." Marianne said. "As if you wouldn't love having her around to spoil all the time."

"Whose side are you on?" House demanded.

"There aren't sides. Michael and Alison want to help people and while I will miss them terribly and am worried about them going, they're both adults and if this is what they want to do, they're going to find a way to do with or without our help."

House glared at her. He hated when she was logical and made sense. He could counter her emotionalism, but not logic.

And he really did not want his son to travel to a country where civilization was a distant dream and medical care was a joke. The young man had been in his life for such a short time. If something happened to him …

But House would not let himself go there. Not at all.

While these thoughts were racing around his head, Michael and Alison were excitedly telling Marianne all about their plans. They had chosen Jacinta, a small country in Central America that had a good deal of poverty and had been hit by a hurricane six months previously. The people were struggling to survive and doctors were sorely needed.

"What about your jobs?" House demanded. "You're just going to quit?"

"No, it's a leave of absence. We spoke to Cuddy this morning. We won't get paid, but she'll hold our jobs until we come back."

"You told Cuddy before you told me?"

"I wanted to be sure we could do this before I told you."

House was simmering now. "And Wilson never told me."

Alison spoke up. "We told Cuddy, not Wilson."

"As if that matters. Anything she knows, hubby knows." Cuddy and Wilson had been married for about a year and had recently adopted a baby girl.

"I'll take care of him tomorrow." House muttered.

Michael just rolled his eyes. He'd had a feeling that his father was not going to accept this easily.

Later that night, as House lay beside his wife in their bed, he said, "I can't believe you're encouraging him to do this."

"I'm not encouraging him."

"You're not **DIS**couraging, so that means you're **EN**couraging. Why?"

She sighed. "Greg, don't you think I'm worried? Don't you think I want him to stay right here, safe in Princeton?"

"Well then…"

"He's an adult. As much as I've tried to keep him as a little boy by my side, I couldn't. As the song says, 'your children start to leave you on the day that they are born.'"

"What song?"

"You probably don't know it, but it doesn't matter. The point is, I could probably throw a lot of guilt on him and maybe force him to stay, but what good would that do? This is something he wants. And despite being scared for him, I'm proud of him too."

"Oh, come on!"

"I am. Harry and I raised him to care about people and the world."

"Oh, right, Harry, the rich construction guy. Sure, I believe that."

"Believe it. Harry started his business years before Habitat for Humanity, but he was doing it on his own. He spent a lot of time fixing up abandoned buildings and donating them to community groups or poor families for homes. All they had to do was pay the taxes and take care of the upkeep. Michael learned early on that it was important to care for the world."

House hated to hear the stories about how wonderful Marianne's first husband, the man who had raised his son, had been. He knew he couldn't measure up to the man and would probably not have been as good a father to Michael.

Marianne continued. "Michael spent a summer in Alabama when he was in college building houses for the poor. He always talked about doing something like this when he became a doctor. I thought he was going to join the peace corps."

"But he didn't. He went to work to make the big doctor dollars."

"Actually, he didn't."

"Sure he did."

"No, what he did was look for you. He wanted to work with you, to learn from you. I didn't know that then, because he made his own decisions when it came to medicine and I didn't get involved. But after he got the job with you, he told me how much he'd wanted to work with you. And he didn't even know you were his father."

"So his dream comes true and he leaves it. That makes no sense."

"It was important for him to learn all that he could from you. Now that he has, he can put it to use helping the less fortunate. Greg, why is this bothering you so much?"

"I hate do-gooders. I'd expect that from Cameron, but not from my son."

"Well, I would."

"Why would you?"

"Because you put yourself out for people all the time. You've put your job, your entire career on the line for your patients time and again. You might not leave the country, but you're not a doctor who leaves the medicine at the hospital. You can't put the patient out of your mind no matter where you are or what you're doing."

House sighed. She was right and he knew it. In a quiet voice, he said, "I just got to know him, to have a – a relationship with him. What if something happens and I never see him again?"

She rolled over and put her arms around him. "It's only a year."

"A lot can happen in a year."

"I know." She whispered, then kissed him and climbed on top of him. He held her as she pulled him into her. "It will be alright. I love you."

"I love you too." He said as he filled her.

**Thanks for trying it out! More to come.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Before we get to the story, let me tell you how this came to be: **

**About a month or so ago, it was warm for February and I was taking a long walk with my MP3 player in my ear and the song The Hardest Part of Love, from Children of Eden, written by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Wicked), started playing. The song makes me cry anyway, since it's about children growing and making their own lives. But at that moment, I was also facing my oldest daughter taking off for London for three months to study. So into my head pops a story about House watching his son leave him to go to a distant place.**

**I am SO deep, aren't I? LOL**

**Enjoy the chapter. And if you've never heard the song, check it out. You can find it on You Tube.**

Chapter 2

Even though in his heart, House knew this was a done deal, he couldn't live with himself if didn't at least try to stop Michael from leaving.

So the next morning he marched into Cuddy's office. She was on the phone, but she immediately told whomever she was talking to that she had to hang up. She'd found it was easier that way. House had disconnected so many calls for her and the people always thought she hung up on them. It was better to politely end the call herself. Besides she had a good idea why he was there.

He didn't bother with a greeting. "You need to tell Michael and Cameron that you'll fire them if they go to Jacinta."

"I'm not going to fire them."

"You should. But it really doesn't matter whether you do or not. You need to tell them you are."

"I already told them that they could take a leave of absence."

"Just tell them the board won't let them. You'll have to fire them if they leave.'

"First of all, the board would never fire them. It's great PR for the hospital when our doctors give their time this way."

"That's all you care about? PR for the hospital? These idiots are going to a dangerous place and you're talking about PR?"

"That's not what I meant. It was their choice to go, but the hospital supports the decision. It's a good thing for them as well as the hospital."

"I don't care what the hospital wants. Just tell them you'll fire them. Lie." He demanded.

"Sorry, no." She looked at the file in front of her, trying to show her disinterest in the conversation.

She should have known better. He had never been put off that easily in all the years she'd known him.

He pulled the file off her desk and threw it into the wastebasket.

"House! I need that."

"And I need my son here in Princeton! Not in some Central American hellhole, treating weird tropical diseases."

She took a deep breath. She knew this was hard for him, but there really was nothing she could do to help him.

"It's only a year, House. He'll learn a lot. And he'll use all that he's learned from you to help those people. He might even find a cure to some weird tropical disease."

House just harrumphed.

"You should know that you're not going to change his mind. He's as stubborn as you are when he has an idea. Give him some support in this."

"Yeah, cause you know so much about kids. Wait until you're little hanger on wants to go across the world from you and then let me know how you feel."

With that, he stormed out of her office. Cuddy sighed. Then she picked up the phone, but instead of going back to her business call, she dialed Marianne and spent a few minutes telling her what had happened.

At first, House tried to attack Michael's plans with anything and everything he could think of. He yelled at him, he lectured him. He talked non-stop for what seemed like hours on end. But none of it bothered Michael. He had learned early on how to handle his father. He responded cheerfully to anything House said and ignored whatever he didn't like.

House's next strategy was silence. He didn't speak to Michael at all for at least two weeks. Even in DDX, he responded to the other team members, but not his son. Michael just shook his head and laughed.

Marianne knew that her husband did not handle change well. Allowing her and Michael into his life was change enough for him. He had adjusted though, and she knew he was happy.

She kept silent while House tried all he could to make Michael stay because she knew that anything she said would fall on deaf ears. House wasn't ready to listen to her.

When Cuddy called her and told her what he'd said, Marianne listened and thanked her for the information, but she knew she had to let him come to acceptance of this in his own way.

On the night before Michael and Alison's last day at PPTH, Marianne finally spoke up.

"Are you going to the farewell party?" She asked him.

"No."

She sighed. "Even if you weren't his father, you're his boss. You should be there."

"Am I supposed to celebrate because he's putting his life in danger?"

She didn't answer. Pushing him into doing anything never worked. She walked past him and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"You need to do whatever feels right for you."

With that, she left the room and he cursed under his breath, wishing she had yelled at him so that he could have yelled back. Damn her and her understanding!

The next afternoon, most of the members of the hospital's staff wandered in and out of the conference room to wish the young doctors well on their journey. Conspicuously missing was the head of Diagnostics.

As the party wound down and people started cleaning up, Michael picked up a few unopened bottles of beer from the table and told his wife, "You get Brianna from the day care center and take her home. I'll see you there later."

"What are you doing?"

"Saying goodbye."

He kissed her, then left the conference room and headed to Diagnostics.

The blinds were closed, but he knew the man was in there. He opened the door and saw him sitting at his desk, glasses perched on his nose, reading a journal, although the look on his face said he was not concentrating on the words.

He looked up and when he saw his son, he looked down again.

Michael walked in boldly, sat down in the chair in front of the desk and placed the beer bottles on the top.

"No drinking at work." House said without looking up.

"Hah!" Michael replied. "As if that ever bothered you."

House was silent.

"Come on, Dad, have a beer with me. We're flying out tomorrow. This might be the last time we have a drink together."

House didn't answer, but he picked up one of the bottles, twisted off the cap and took a drag. Michael did the same.

"Do you remember the first time we drank together?" Michael asked him.

"Yeah, I remember."

"Mom was in a coma after having that lump removed and we didn't know if she'd make it."

"I said I remembered. You didn't have to bring it up."

Michael stared at the beer bottle in his hand. "At that time, I didn't want you to be my father. I didn't know what that would mean. I didn't want you in my mother's life either."

"Yeah, I remember that too."

He looked up at the older man. "I changed my mind. I found out that you were good for mom. And you were good for me. Stubborn people can change their minds sometimes."

"I'm not changing my mind."

"Fair enough. But maybe you can not hate me for leaving."

House looked at his son's eyes, which were as blue as his own. "I don't hate you, Michael."

"You've been acting like you do."

"No, I've been acting like I don't want you to go. I will never want you to go. And when you come back, I'm still going to say you were wrong for going."

"Are you really going to miss me that much?"

House stood up and walked to the window. He looked out for a few moments before speaking quietly. "You're my son. The son I never thought I would have. The fact that you exist and that I met you is…unbelievable. I haven't had you in my life all that long. I don't want to lose you."

"Dad, you're not going to lose me. I'll be back."

"So you say. But things can happen in places like that."

"Nothing's going to happen." He got up and went to his father and pulled him into a hug. House held on to his son, closing his eyes to relish the smell and feel of the young man.

"I'm not going to forgive you if you never come back."

Michael chuckled. "Just make sure you take care of my daughter."

House nodded.

The next afternoon, the five of them were at the airport. There were tears in Alison's eyes as she kissed her daughter goodbye.

"If you're that upset, you don't have to go." House said.

"Yeah, Dad," Michael told him, "Give it one last try. We're just going to turn around, cash in our tickets and stay here."

House looked hopeful.

"Forget it." Michael picked up his daughter and held her close to him. "Bye, Bree. You be a good girl for Grandma and Grandpa, okay."

"Yes, Daddy." The little girl said, hugging her father's neck. "Don't go, Daddy."

"We have to, pumpkin. What did we tell you?"

"You're going to help the sick people. But Ganpa says sick are here too."

Michael gave House a look that said, cheap shot using the kid. "Yes, there are. But there are a lot of doctors here. Where we're going there aren't and they need us. Little girls and boys with sick mommies and daddies. You want us to help them, don't you?"

She nodded, but the tears were starting to leak from her eyes.

"We'll talk to you on the computer." Alison told her. "Whenever we can."

Michael looked at his watch and told his wife, "We have to go."

Alison nodded. She hugged Marianne and said, "Thank you so much for taking care of Brianna. We'd never be able to do this without you."

Marianne nodded, but she was filling up too. Then Alison went to House and gave him a hug too. "It'll be fine, House. We'll be back."

"Yeah, yeah."

Michael hugged his mother and she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on. "Be careful, sweetheart." She told him.

"I will, Mom. And I'll be in contact as often as I can."

She nodded and sniffed. He went to House next, but his father was avoiding his gaze. Finally Michael just hugged his father and said, "Thanks, Dad. For everything."

"Right."

"I love you."

House couldn't look at the young man. He just stared at his cane, which he was gripping tightly.

Michael and Alison kissed and hugged their daughter once more, then they headed for security. House and Marianne waited and watched until they went through and disappeared. House knew that Marianne was praying for their safety. He almost wished that he believed in God. Maybe praying for his son's safety would help him get through this.

But since he didn't, he could only hope that he would someday see his son again.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: This is a lighthearted chapter. But don't be fooled. This chapter is definitely the exception. Oh, and by the way, all the cute things Brianna says in this chapter were said by one of my daughters! :)**_

_**And thanks to my friend Brighid45 for the nice shout out. If you aren't reading her Treatment series, you're doing yourself a disfavor! I also highly recommend Picking Up the Pieces by my other friend Gertrude2034. Another great read!**_

Chapter 3

Several months earlier, House and Marianne had bought a larger, three bedroom condo. It had taken some time, but Marianne had finally convinced her husband that they needed more room, since her family often came to visit, as well as her friend Sandy. And they wanted to have space for Brianna when they babysat.

So they had furnished the smaller bedroom in bright colors and kept toys and such there for their grandchild. The other bedroom was furnished as an office with a sofa bed for guests.

The new condo also allowed Marianne a bright spot to do her drawing in and room for House's piano.

Since the room was already there for Brianna, before Michael and Alison left, they had moved clothes and more toys there. Marianne also had the keys to their house, since she was bringing in mail and checking on things, so she could go there to pick up anything else the child needed.

After the younger couple left for Jacinta, House and Marianne adjusted to being full time parents to a small child. Their son had taken the precaution of making House and Marianne Brianna's legal guardians, so that if anything happened to them, they would have legal custody. They were also able to make decisions for the child in her parents' absence.

At three, Brianna was a cooperative child, but very, very smart, like her father and grandfather. It was a challenge to keep up with her and still keep her stimulated. Marianne remembered doing the same things when Michael was a baby, but she was thirty years older now and her patience wasn't the same as it was when she was twenty.

As for House, he marveled in the child's brains and basically left Marianne to deal with her when she became a handful.

Still, she was funny and fun and she constantly amazed them.

One morning, Marianne was getting breakfast for her husband and grandchild. House was sipping his coffee and munching on a bagel.

Marianne had given Brianna a cup with juice which she had almost finished, though there was some liquid still in the cup. She poured some milk and placed it in front of her while she went to get a banana. When she turned back to the table, the child was starting to pour the milk into the orange juice cup.

Anticipating a mess, Marianne snatched the juice cup away and said, "Oh no, you're not getting two cups."

Brianna looked upset and starting demanding, "Two cups! Two cups! Two cups!"

"Stop that, Breezy." House said.

"Two cups! Two cups!" she said again.

Marianne gave her a stern look and told her, "Brianna, you will stop saying 'two cups'. If you don't stop it, we won't go to the park today.'

The girl was silent for a moment, her little mind working a mile a minute. Then she smiled and said brightly, "Three cups! Three cups!"

House looked at Marianne and they both started laughing. House was actually very impressed. She had figured out how to demand what she wanted and avoid disobeying which would have netted her punishment. Three cups would still give her more than one cup, but her grandmother had said not to say 'two cups'. She hadn't said anything about not saying 'three cups'.

Marianne, sighed, but told her, "I'm sorry, sweetie, but if I give you more than one cup and you spill it, I'll have to spend time cleaning the kitchen again and that will be less time we can spend at the park. But tonight we can play with cups in the bathtub, will that be okay?"

Brianna nodded. Of course, at this point, she was already losing interest in the cups, as she had a banana to peel and that was always fun.

Another time, Marianne had just purchased a new sunshield for her car. As she was opening it in the car, Brianna watched her, then asked, "Grandma, what's that?"

"It's a sunshield. See, I put it on my windshield and it keeps the sun out." Marianne demonstrated.

The child got a horrified look on her face. "But Grandma! You will bump the other cars!"

Marianne laughed quietly, then quickly explained, "No, sweetie, I don't use it when I'm driving. Only when the car is parked."

The little girl looked relieved.

Of course, there was the day when Brianna was in the car with Marianne when she did have a fender bender. As she was driving down a street, a pick up truck turned right into her and hit her left front fender. It wasn't major, as the truck wasn't going very fast, but it did have some impact.

Brianna was in the car seat in the back. Marianne's first thought was for the child's safety. Would she be scared or upset?

She turned to the back seat immediately. "Bree, are you okay?"

But there was a big smile on the child's face.

"Car go boom!" she said excitedly.

Marianne just shook her head. After all, this was Greg's granddaughter.

Even though Marianne worked at home, they continued to take the child to the hospital day care. Mostly so that Marianne COULD work, which would be impossible with a small child to look after, but also because House enjoyed visiting her there during the day. He wasn't about to give up his visits.

So he would bring her to work with him in the morning. If he had to work late, Marianne would come and get her or sometimes Cuddy and Wilson would bring her home when they picked up Rachel, who also went to the day care.

One morning, when he wandered into the kitchen, he saw that Brianna was still in her pajamas.

"What's up?" he asked his wife.

"She's sick. I think she should stay here today." Marianne told him.

He looked at his granddaughter. "What's wrong, Breezy?"

"My nose is walking."

Perplexed, House asked her, "It's what?"

"It's walking."

House stopped and thought about that. Then he looked at her face. Her nose was a little pink, but she didn't seem too stuffy.

"Okay, I get it. It's not really running, it's just _walking_, right?"

She nodded. "And teacher says you shouldn't run."

He smiled. "Right. What else does teacher say?"

She held up her finger and shook it at him. "You should never talk to strangers!"

He nodded. "Good advice."

He kissed her and his wife and went to work with a smile on his face.

Probably the happiest part of the week for all three of them was Sunday night when Michael and Alison contacted them on Skype to talk. Brianna was so excited to see her parents and they were equally happy to see their daughter. But Marianne and House were happy as well. Seeing that the young couple were both safe and, although tired, doing well with their work, was a great relief to them.

House still tried to nag them into coming home, but it was more for form than actually meaning anything. He was very proud of them, but he missed them and wanted them to be safe at home.

Still, at least the weekly calls were a good thing. But they warned House and Marianne that they might not always make the call. WIFI in Jacinta was spotty at best. It usually worked in the hospital, but not always. In fact, they did miss one Sunday, but managed to call on the following Tuesday to reassure everyone.

That was why they didn't panic immediately when they didn't hear from them one Sunday evening.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the cliffie, but I did warn that there would be angst. Thanks for reading.**

**Oh, and last time when I was recommending stories, my swiss cheese brain forgot to mention Almost Home by Anon004. Another great read! Check it out. And also Soem Enchanted Evening by hilandmum. Hey, if you can't plug your friends...**

Chapter 4

They didn't panic until later that night when Marianne caught the tail end of a news story on CNN. She switched channels repeatedly until she heard it again. Then she paused the TV and ran into the other room where House was playing the piano.

"Greg, come here!"

"What's up?"

"Just come here."

He followed her into the bedroom and she rewound the TV – thank God for DVR – and played the news story for him.

"The small Central American country of Jacinta was the scene of an uprising by the revolutionary group, the People's Freedom Army." The pretty blonde reporter said. "Reports are sketchy at this time, but our news bureau in the area has said that the group ousted President Marino and is trying to remove all foreigners from the country. The American Embassy is scrambling to find all Americans and get them to safety. The American hospital was attacked, but there is no information on the number of casualties. We'll keep you updated as reports come in."

As the reporter moved on to the next story, House and Marianne just sat there, stunned, for several minutes.

"Do you think…?" Marianne began.

"I don't know. I don't want to think right now until I do know."

They spent the next few hours alternating between the TV and computer, searching for any snippets of news about Jacinta.

Finally, House had had enough. "Fuck this." He said as he pulled out his cell phone.

"Greg, it's almost three in the morning! Who are you calling?"

He didn't answer her, but he did speak into the phone. "Let me talk to your wife."

"What the hell…it's the middle of the night! Do you have a patient?" A sleepy Wilson asked him.

"No. Just give me your wife."

"I am not bothering her unless you tell me why."

House sighed. "Go to your computer, type in 'revolution' and 'Jacinta'. Then come back and talk to me."

"What are you…?"

"Just do it." House hung up and sat down, palming his face as he waited.

A few minutes later, his cell phone rang.

"What do you need, House?" Cuddy asked him.

"Some of those board members have connections to the state department. I know they own a few senators too. Get a hold of them. Get them to find out where my son is."

"House, it's three in the morning."

"I have a watch. I didn't call to find out the time!"

"There isn't much they can even do at this time of night."

"Don't you understand? The longer we wait, the harder it will be. And the more chances that …there isn't anything we can do."

She was silent, then sighed. "I'll see what I can do."

But it seemed there wasn't a lot that she could do. A few days later, they still had little or no information about Michael and Alison. House called the administrative offices for the program they were a part of, but they could only tell him that Michael was still listed as 'unknown status', meaning he wasn't definitely dead or alive. Which told House absolutely nothing.

So the only thing that he could do was nag Cuddy to get her connections to obtain information for him. He nagged her almost hourly.

For the first two days, Wilson tried, as was his way, to placate the both of him. To House he would say, "Lisa is doing her best. You have to have patience.'

To Cuddy, he would say, "You have to understand, he's really worried."

By the third day, he started telling House, "Leave her alone, she's trying everything she can!"

By the fourth day, after spending time with his best friend, he told his wife, "You have to do something. It's his son. I don't know how he'll survive if – well, you know."

Cuddy looked at him and said, "God, I know. I don't know how we'll survive watching him try. I'm pulling out all the stops, every favor I can possibly use."

Marianne, during this time, took it upon herself to keep Brianna happy. She refused to tell her granddaughter that something might have happened to her parents.

"We don't have anything concrete to tell her." She reasoned. "She'll only be confused. Once we know, we'll tell her."

Even though he believed in total honesty when it came to patients, House agreed with his wife on this. He wasn't in any hurry to tell the little girl that her parents were dead.

He could barely think about that himself. Being an atheist and not believing in an afterlife meant that if Michael was dead, that was it. He would never see him again. The thought of that life being wasted for someone's political ideals made him furious. He didn't know who he could take it out on, but in the meantime, his team, Cuddy, Wilson, hell, anyone in his path were fair game.

Except for Marianne. He could see the pain in his wife's eyes, even though she tried to hide it for Brianna's sake.

Marianne didn't know what to think, how to feel. A part of her was of course holding on to the hope that Michael was alive and just unable to contact them. But another part was preparing her for the other outcome: that Michael was dead.

And that outcome, she knew, would be the most devastating thing she could ever face. Her son. Her SON. Her baby, her little boy. Because a thirty-four year old man was still a little boy to his mother. She'd carried him in her body. She'd fed him from her breast. She'd wiped his runny nose and dried his tears. She'd watched him grow into the most amazing young man she had ever seen.

In her life, she had faced a variety of loss: Friends that she'd left behind when her father's military career moved them. Her mother's death from breast cancer. The death of her first husband, Harry Newman, whom she had loved. Not in the way she loved House, but she had loved that good, gentle man. Her separation from House, believing she would never see him again. Her own brush with breast cancer and fear of her own death.

Yes, there had been pain in her life. But she knew, with every fiber of her being that all of that would be a picnic in the park compared to what she would feel if her son was dead.

She loved her family and friends, she loved House. But her son? He was her heart.

The only thing that kept her going and would continue to keep her going was her granddaughter. Michael's child. The only piece of him that was left to her.

She knew he would want her to care for Brianna. To raise her to be the sort of woman he would have raised her to be. That was her duty. Her loving duty. It would keep her pushing on through all of this and through the rest, should the worst happen.


	5. Chapter 5

**I know that everyone is not happy with the angst, but it had to be done. All I can say is please trust me. And again, many thanks to everyone who reads this and especially if you take the time to add a review. Those reviews are Vicodin to us poor fan fic writers!**

Chapter 5

The news out of Jacinta, what there was of it, was not very good. The revolutionaries had rebelled against President Marino and had set out to remove all foreign influences from their country. The hospital that Michael and Alison had worked at had been built by the U.S and was therefore not wanted by the group. However, General Ramone, the leader of the People's Freedom Army, knew they needed hospitals and doctors, especially in the wake of the violence. Some of the doctors had been killed in the first attack, but those that hadn't were being kept as prisoners to treat the sick and wounded. His own men were there to supervise them.

Slowly, the doctors managed to get messages out to family and friends. Since they knew that others families were waiting for information as well, they tried to give as much as they could. This included the names of those who had been killed.

Those who received these messages brought them to the authorities at the State department so that the other families could get the news.

Cuddy walked into House's office one morning, about three weeks after they first heard the news. She'd been trying to get any information she could for him, but up until then, the board member with the State department connections hadn't been able to find out anything. When the messages started to arrive, he had called her and she gave him House's direct information.

"Check your email." She said as she walked in. He looked at her, about to argue with her, but the look on her face told him not to.

He turned to the computer and checked it. There was a message from an unknown name, but the subject line said 'Jacinta.'

It noted anything that had been learned from the messages coming in. It listed the names of the doctors that had been killed in the first attack. He scanned it quickly, then looked it over again. Newman was not on the list. He sighed and closed his eyes.

"House?" Cuddy asked.

"Their names aren't on the list. They weren't killed in the attack on the hospital."

"Thank, God."

"No, thank whatever happened to keep them out of the line of fire." He pulled out his cell phone and called his wife, telling her what he'd just learned.

"Oh, my God! That's good, right?"

"So far." He continued to read the email to see if there was any other information important for them.

There was a list of names of doctors known to be alive because either they had sent messages or they had been mentioned by those who sent messages. There was no Newman on that list either.

"We're right back where we started. We still don't know if he's dead or alive." House complained.

"But he wasn't killed in the first attack. We at least know that."

"But if he's alive, why isn't his name mentioned?"

"I don't know." Marianne said. "But I'm going to concentrate on the one positive. I have to."

House nodded. He understood how she felt. He wasn't the type of person to think positive. But in this case, the alternative was too hard to think about.

Bit by bit, they got some information. Sometimes two reports in one day, sometimes a week would go by with nothing.

It was frustrating and, in a way, worse than no information at all. To look every day for the emails, to find one and then to find out nothing about Michael and Alison.

But finally, House saw a message that he almost missed. One of the doctors had texted: "Wonder if M & A made it out of Lacora. Haven't heard from them."

If House hadn't been so anxiously looking for anything, he might have missed it. Of course, he had no way of knowing if 'M & A' were Michael and Alison, but it was the first time he'd seen even a hint that it could be them.

He showed it to Marianne. She looked at him, a little dubious.

"We don't know if it's them. And what is 'Lacora'?"

"It's a small village outside of Jacinta City."

She stared at him. "How do you know that?"

"Looked it up."

Marianne nodded. Of course he did. When this man got hold of something, he was like a dog with a bone. Nothing stopped him. And he was determined to find out what happened to Michael.

She was happy he was doing all of this. She wanted to find out as much as he did, but she was too upset by the whole thing to do the work he was doing for it. She pushed herself through the day, and cried herself to sleep at night.

House held her when she did. He knew how she felt. He wanted to cry too, but he didn't. Instead, he tried every avenue he could think of to find his son.

They got a big break when a doctor and a nurse were able to escape from Jacinta and return to the U.S. The nurse was pregnant and the government had been able to negotiate her release along with her fiancé.

All of the families wanted to talk with them, so the State department set up a live web chat.

Each family was allowed one question, but there was no guarantee all the families would get to ask their questions, as time was limited. Cuddy pulled strings with the board member and got House to be question # 5. He wanted to be first, but he took that one anyway.

They gathered at his house for the web chat. Marianne and House sat together in front of the computer, Cuddy and Wilson just behind them on the sofa. House was impatient during the first four questions. He was interested in the situation and the people started the webcast with a description of the events on the day the revolution started, but then each family asked about their loved one and House really didn't care.

Finally, it was his turn.

They had considered the question carefully and so he asked, "Do you know what happened to Michael and Alison Newman?"

The man and woman looked thoughtful for a few minutes, then the doctor said, "Oh, yeah, Mike. What a nice guy. Yeah, they went to treat the people in the villages. Once a month doctors would go off to do that. They definitely weren't there the day of the attack. But I didn't hear anything about them afterwards. So I really don't know where they are now. Sorry."

The nurse spoke up, "I really hope they're okay. They were so nice, both of them. And when they found out I was pregnant, Alison showed me a picture of her baby. So adorable!"

She hesitated and bit her lip. "Are you Mike's dad?"

"Yes." House answered.

"They told us you and his mom were taking care of their daughter. They were really glad that you are." She took a breath. "I hope they're okay."

House just nodded and they moved on to the next question.

They listened to the rest of the webcast, hoping that there might be something mentioned that might provide information about Michael and Alison, but there was nothing.

When it was over, they had drinks and talked about what they'd learned.

"Well, now we know that they weren't killed in the attack on the hospital, so that's good, right?" Marianne asked hopefully.

"That is good." Cuddy said. Wilson nodded, but he was looking at House, who did not look hopeful at all. The women looked at him too.

"You don't think so?" Wilson asked.

"No." House replied. "I don't think so."

"But Greg…" Marianne began.

"They were out in the jungle. They would have tried to get back to the city. If they didn't make it back, it's because they couldn't. And that means they're probably dead in the jungle."

"You don't know that!"

"No, but you know that's probably the truth."

"Until I know for sure, I'm not going to think like that."

"You're never going to know for sure! If they're dead in the jungle, do you think we'll ever get their bodies back to have a funeral? We won't. They're just going to rot in the jungle. Or the animals will eat them. But that's it.

"They're gone." He added quietly.

The other three stared at him. They all wanted to disagree, to counter his words with arguments proving him wrong.

But they couldn't.

Because they knew that he was probably right.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Marianne held on to the hopes that she would see her son again. She had to. Being a woman of faith, she would pray for his safety.

Of course, she was careful to pray when her husband wasn't around. He laughed at her belief in prayer.

"Do you think your praying is going to produce a miracle?" he asked her.

"Maybe." She replied.

"That's bullshit. All it's going to do is give you false hope for something that will never happen."

She didn't argue with him, but she continued to pray. She did believe in miracles. She had been reunited with him when she thought she'd never see him again and that was a miracle. If that could happen, anything could.

House did not believe in miracles. Or prayers. Or hoping for things that would never happen.

He was a realist and the reality was that his son and daughter-in-law were dead.

And that was truly a tragedy. Michael was exceptionally smart. One of the few doctors House had ever known who could really go up against House himself and match him. As a team, they were amazing in the cases they solved. House knew that Michael was the only doctor he would ever hand his job over to should he ever decide to retire.

He missed Cameron too. Even though she'd taken Michael's name when they'd gotten married, he still thought of her – and referred to her – as Cameron. He remembered when she first started working for him. She was so idealistic, so sure she knew what was right and wrong. She'd been shocked at his cynicism. He knew that he'd corrupted her along the way. But she never really lost that way of looking at things.

He once called her "a teddy bear made by Grandma". She still was, but he'd found out that the teddy bear had a steel core inside. And that made her a good match for Michael.

He thought back to the previous Christmas season. On a Sunday, Marianne, Cuddy and Cameron had decided to go shopping. They left the men at home with Brianna to watch football. Marianne left sandwiches, snacks and beer.

When the game got boring, they talked. Somehow the conversation moved to their wives.

House asked Michael, "Does Cameron get all preachy on you with that moral compass of hers?'

"Nah." Michael replied. "She's fine. Actually, she's great. I can't believe how lucky I am to have her in my life. Not only beautiful, but smart and sweet. And she knows how to put up with my crap."

House nodded. He understood that and doubted there was another woman in the world who could put up with his crap the way that Marianne did.

Michael continued. "I love her more and more every day. And I keep finding new reasons to love her. The best thing I ever did was to marry her."

"Yeah," House said, "I'm with you on that one."

"Are you glad you married Mom? Even though it took you thirty years?"

"I am. And I was ready to marry her thirty years earlier. I would have if she hadn't taken things into her own hands."

"I know."

House smiled a bit, thinking of his wife. "But yeah, I can't imagine not being with her."

Wilson had been quiet during this exchange, but now he snorted. "Wow, do you two realize how mushy you just got?"

House glared at him. "And if I ask you about your wife? What would you say?"

"I would…I would…" He sighed. "Oh, hell, I'd be just as mushy."

The three of them laughed, then drank some more beer and concentrated on the game again to get them back into 'man mode'.

But as House remembered the conversation now, he was glad that his son had found love before he died. Even though they were both now dead.

The next weeks were hard on House and Marianne. She insisted on holding on to the hope that Michael would be found. But House knew he had to convince himself that his son was gone so that he could learn to deal with the pain.

This dichotomy of beliefs caused them to argue alot. House started losing patience in her and her unrelenting hope. She was tired of his depressing pessimism.

"You'll be better off once you accept that he's dead and you're never going to see him again." House told her.

"I won't be better off, because then my son will be dead."

"Your son is dead."

"Until I know that for sure, I can't think that."

"You'll never know it for sure. But I know that right now, he's worm food."

Her eyes filled with tears and he felt like shit, but he knew it had to be said and she had to accept it.

But she pulled herself together enough to say, "If I don't know for sure that he's alive, then you don't know for sure that he's dead."

"Meg, you've gotta face the facts.'

"If it was a fact, I would face it. But it's not, since we don't know."

He lost it then. "So do we spend the next twenty years hoping he's going to come home? When is it long enough? When do you finally accept it?"

Her lip was quivering. "When I die, I'll know."

"No, you won't."

"I will, because I believe that if he's dead, I'll see him then."

"Well, good luck with that." He said as he left the room.

They repeated this argument often over the next month. In between those fights, they didn't do a lot of other talking. Only what needed to be said and that mostly centered on Brianna.

At first, the little girl asked about her parents and when she would see them on "kite" as she called Skype. At first, they tried to put her off by saying "soon".

Then Marianne told her, "Your Mommy and Daddy are really busy helping the sick people. As soon as they can talk to you, they will. I promise."

House was mad that she said that. "You're giving her false hope. She's not going to hear from them."

"What am I supposed to say? We don't know if they're dead or alive, we're just waiting?"

"No, you tell her that they're dead."

Marianne was incredulous. "We don't even know that for sure! Why would I tell that child something like that?"

"Because it's the truth!"

"It's not the truth! Not yet, it isn't. And I don't intend to have that conversation until I know for sure." She walked away, refusing to discuss it with him any longer.

But as the weeks passed, Brianna asked less and less and Marianne feared that she was beginning to forget them. The pain was still so deep in herself that even though she wanted to talk to her granddaughter about them and remind her of them, she just couldn't.

House watched her try to talk and have to turn away to hide the tears. It broke his heart, so he would take Brianna out to the park or somewhere else to give his wife a break and when they were together, he would tell her stories of her father and mother. Some from his own experiences, some that Marianne had told him, some he just made up.

When Marianne saw this, she realized how much he was hurting too. After Brianna was in bed, she went and sat beside him on the piano bench.

"I'm sorry. I know that you don't believe in an afterlife and the only way you can deal with this is to look at the worst case."

He nodded.

"But the only way I can deal with it is to hold on to every last bit of hope."

"I'm just afraid that if that hope is destroyed by the truth, you won't be able to handle it."

She swallowed, then looked at him. "Maybe. But I'm counting on having you to help me. Will I?"

He looked at her, leaned over and gently kissed her. "Always."

**Thanks for your patience and putting up with the uncertainty. In the next chapter, you will find out what happened to Michael and Alison. No spoilers as to whether House or Marianne is right, just saying you'll find out. But don't worry, lots more to go in this story! Thanks for reading. Reviews are always appreciated.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Little by little, they started to communicate without arguing. Mostly by agreeing not to discuss Michael and what may or may not have happened to him. House continued to believe their son was dead, Marianne that he was alive. But if they didn't air their beliefs, they wouldn't fight about them.

A few weeks later, House was in his office, thinking about his patient's symptoms and what they could mean when his cell phone rang. He glanced at it, but didn't recognize the number, so he ignored it.

He knew that the caller left a voice mail, but he wasn't interested enough to check it. In fact, he was about to just delete it, when one of his team interrupted him with a question. He forgot about the call after that.

The next evening, he and Marianne were deciding what to eat. She didn't feel like cooking.

"There's a new Thai place near the hospital and they deliver." He told her. "Wilson and I ate there last week. Here." He tossed her his phone. "I programmed the number in since I figured we'd want to try it. I'm taking a shower."

She took the phone and started to look for the number when she saw that he had an unheard voice mail. She followed him to the bedroom.

"You didn't listen to your voice mail."

"What voice mail? Oh, right, that came in the other day. Didn't recognize the number."

"Well, you should listen to it."

"Don't care. Probably someone wanting me to take a case."

"They don't have your cell number."

"Just delete it."

"No. You know I can't do that." Marianne had to answer phones and messages. She was weird that way. She put the phone on speaker and started to play the voice mail.

They both lost all the color in their faces when they heard the message:

_Dad, it's Michael. You probably thought we were dead, but we're not. We were captured by the revolutionaries and we're with them somewhere in the jungle. This is the first time I've had access to a phone to call you. God, I wish you'd answered. Anyway, we're…okay. I have no idea where we are other than a jungle in Jacinta. I'll try to call you again if I can, but no promises. Kiss Bree for us. (a pause) I love you._

When the message ended, they just stared at each other.

"Oh my God!" Marianne said.

"He's alive." House whispered, unable to believe the words even as he spoke them.

A smile broke out on Marianne's face. "Yes! He's alive!"

"Why didn't I answer that fucking phone yesterday? I could have talked to him!"

"It's okay, you didn't know."

"It's not okay. I should have…" he was starting to lose it, so she put her arms around him.

"Greg, Michael is alive."

He looked at her and nodded. "Yeah. He's alive."

_**Michael's Journal**_

I don't know how I managed to have this notebook with me. I don't mean a computer, I mean an actual book with lined paper. Since we never knew if there would be power or not, I thought old school might be a good idea. I'd gotten into the habit of carrying it in my backpack and jotting down notes and observations whenever I had a spare moment. Not that there were many of them. We were so busy. I had intended to journal everything at night before I went to sleep, but we were so exhausted each night, that nothing got written. So I started putting it in my bag and taking it with me all day.

Which is why it was with me when we went to the village of Lacora. And with me when we got captured. So now I will be able to write down everything that happens to us.

Although I wonder why. Will I really want to remember everything that happened here? Or more to the point, will I ever be able to forget it?

I suppose I should describe our capture, in case I don't survive and people want to know what happened.

Alison and I were on the weekly rotation of doctors who visited the small villages that surrounded Ciudad Jacinta and treated the people too weak or too scared to come to the hospital. It was a two day trek to reach all of the villages in the area and still the doctors barely managed to get to each village once a month. We were on the second day and had just finished up at the most remote village. We were headed towards Lacora when we saw them.

At first we thought they were President Marino's soldiers. They routinely patrolled and while they weren't the nicest guys around, they were usually harmless. At least to us. Occasionally they'd appear at the hospital for us to patch up a knife or gunshot wound, but that was about the extent of our involvement with them.

So we weren't too concerned when we saw the group of men on the truck approaching us. Until they stopped our car and demanded we get out. That's when we realized that they were not the President's soldiers. They were revolutionaries.

Some of the natives had told us about the revolutionaries and how they roamed the jungles and sometimes terrorized the people, but we didn't worry much about them. With all the work we had to do at the hospital and trying to get the people to trust us, a non-existent revolution was the last thing on our minds.

Until that day in October when the revolutionaries took over Jacinta.

I don't follow the ins and outs of politics. I know who's running for president, senator, etc and I know what they claim they stand for. I think I make the best choices I can with the information I have. And before we left the states, I had researched Jacinta. They were struggling, but it had been peaceful under President Marino's rule for over twenty years. Almost, but not quite a democracy, still no problems had arisen. Until the hurricane six months before we got there. It wiped out what little economy the country had and left the people devastated. That was why they needed help. But I didn't consider it a political hotbed. If I had thought that, I would never have brought myself and my wife here.

We didn't know why the revolutionaries were there, but we didn't think we had anything to worry about. We were Americans. We were impartial to the political problems of the country.

My indifference about politics proved to be my undoing. I wasn't aware of the machinations of my government in Jacinta and the fact that they'd been secretly funding President Marino for years. The people under his rule had finally had enough and rose up against him, fueled by the People's Freedom movement that had been trying to overthrow Marino for a very long time.

But we didn't know all of that at that time. Only that we were surrounded by some scary looking guys with guns. We were hoping that Marino's soldiers would come to our rescue. We didn't know that Marino was in hiding and his soldiers either dead or running for their lives.

So in a matter of minutes, we went from doctors visiting sick people in villages to prisoners.

We both spoke Spanish, although I was more fluent than Alison. Languages had always come easily to me. So I was able to understand what our captors were saying and I tried to communicate with them, but they screamed at me to be silent. Still, I heard that they were intending to take us to the leader of the People's Freedom movement, General Ramone.

I tried to be brave for my wife's sake. I know that Alison was upset and I had to be strong. But inside, I was quaking. What would happen to us? Would they kill us? I hadn't thought much of my own mortality, despite doing that will before we'd left. That was only a precaution. Nothing was going to happen, I'd thought.

Now I wasn't so sure.

I thought about my parents. Mom would be devastated. She was such a warm-hearted, Italian mother. I hated to think how sad she'd be. She would probably never get over losing her child.

And my father. I had been lucky enough to have two fathers in my life. My dad, Harry Newman, who had raised me and loved me until the day he died. And my father, Greg House, a complicated, brilliant man who had given me his DNA, then didn't meet me until thirty years later. I always think about them that way. Harry, my dad. Greg House, my father.

I'd had such a short time to get to know my father, but he was a man that I respected, despite the outward appearance. He had deep convictions and a very ethical core. I'd hoped there would be more to learn from him.

At the moment of our capture, I couldn't be sure of anything.

_**I hope you guys like Michael. I like him a lot. You're going to hear a lot from him in the upcoming chapters. Sorry I led you to believe the worst. Hopefully I'm forgiven! Thanks for the reviews and the support.**_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The knowledge that Michael was alive really threw House for a loop. Marianne was, of course, ecstatic and couldn't stop herself from throwing a few "I told you so's" at House. He pretty much ignored that.

He was as happy as she was, but now he was worried. When he'd thought Michael was dead, he had started to make himself accept it and deal with life without his son. The only bright side – if you could call it that – to Michael being dead was that nothing more could happen to him.

Now that House knew he was alive, he had to worry. Where was he? What was happening to him? Would he survive? Or would House have to start the grieving all over again when Michael really did die in the jungle?

He wondered what conditions the couple was living in. He didn't know if Michael would be able to deal with hardships. He'd led a pretty easy life. Marianne and Harry Newman had given the boy everything, including a loving home and solid upbringing. Michael had done well in school and hadn't gotten into trouble. He'd decided to be a doctor, had the marks to get into Harvard and Harry's money to pay for it. There'd been very few bumps in his life and the ones he'd encountered had been very minor.

He knew his son was smart. But did he have the kind of smart you needed to survive a wartime situation?

House didn't erase the message and when he was by himself, he would play it back. He knew that was silly and sentimental, but he couldn't help it. It just felt good to hear his son's voice.

**_Michael's Journal_**

They raped my wife.

The goddamned dirty bastards raped my Alison. They held me while they did it so that I was forced to see it, to hear her crying. I was helpless.

It was the leader of this little group, Almosa was his name. He raped her, then let his second in command have her. Some of his other men held me, but they looked a little uncomfortable.

When they were done, they let go of me and I knew Almosa could see the anger in my eyes. I think he was hoping I'd attack him and it would give him a reason to kill me.

But deep inside I knew that Alison would need me. If they killed me, I'd leave her in their filthy hands.

Still, I felt like a failure as a husband, as a man. Both my dad and my father had taught me that a man took care of the woman he loved. And I loved Alison with all of my heart.

But I hadn't been able to protect her.

She was shattered by it. I held her while she cried. I worried that she might fall apart, but I kept talking to her, telling her that she had to hold on. We had to get out of there and home to our daughter. I think that was the only thing that kept her going, the thought of our child.

So that I don't have to think about Alison right now, which is too painful, can I write a bit about my daughter? About my beautiful Brianna? She'd come as a surprise, way too soon after our wedding, but what a surprise. She was so smart, so happy, so absolutely perfect. Okay, I know every man thinks his daughter is perfect, but mine really is!

She has my eyes. The same ones I inherited from my father. My mom just sighs and says those eyes are lethal. I know that some day she's going to be charming all the boys with those eyes. Just the thought of some boy touching her…well, we have time for that.

But do I? Will I survive this? Will I go home to my little girl? Or will I die here? Somewhere in the jungle where no one will even find my body. Where my family will never know for sure if I'm alive or dead.

How will Brianna grow without her parents? I know that my mother and my father will care for her. Even if I hadn't made them her guardians, they adore her. They'll make sure she has everything she needs, including all their love.

But still. She won't have her parents. She won't have her mom during those teenaged years when girls need their mother. She won't have her dad when things go wrong.

And we won't have her. We had been selfish, I realized now, running off to do this and leaving our child to possibly become an orphan. Would we ever see her again? Would she ever see us?

Do I believe in an afterlife, a time or a place that will allow me to see the people I love someday? I honestly don't know. I was raised in the Catholic church and I know my mom believes it. My dad wasn't hugely religious, but he did believe in God. My father is an atheist and so is Alison.

So what do I believe? I hadn't thought much about it before. I never really had to. But now I am in a situation where I may very well be facing death. And now I must stop and think about what I believe.

I think I believe there is a God, or a power, or a force in the universe - okay, maybe I've watched Star Wars too many times. But I think there is something there. I don't believe it is the god of any of the organized religions. It's something much more personal.

My father would scoff at me for that and say, "What God would let those guys hurt your wife like that?"

Back to Alison. And I'd have to agree with him on that. I'm not the type of person to say that God has a greater plan for all of us. There is no plan that could justify what happened to her.

Still, I think the way we handle these things, as terrible as they are, is what makes us the people we want to be. Maybe that's the plan. Throw as much shit at us as can be thrown. Those who come out of it and keep going make it. Those who drown in it, don't.

That's pretty simplistic. Or maybe really complicated. I don't really know. I know that I'm more upset than I have ever been in my life. Worse than when my dad died. Worse than when I found out Greg House was my father and that Alison had been in love with him (and I was damned angry then!), worse than when my mom was facing cancer.

I am upset enough to kill someone. It would be very easy for me to strangle Almosa with my bare hands. It would give me great joy.

But that would be drowning in the shit. There is another reason why we're here in this place, far away from our families and facing these things. I can't give in to those feelings.

But I swear, someday, I will take my revenge on him.

The next time I saw him, with steely determination, I told him, "Don't ever touch my wife again or I will kill you."

He laughed. "If you try, my men will kill you very quickly."

"Do you think I would try it when your men were watching? I will do it at a time and in a place where you are alone and vulnerable."

He laughed again. "You should be afraid of me, senor. I have guns and men. You are a fool if you do not fear me."

"I'm not a fool. I fear your guns, because I don't have one. But I don't fear you. If it were you and I alone with no weapons, I would have no fear. And I would kill you." I told him.

He laughed again, but the look in his eye told me that he might begin to believe me.

I hoped so. My only goal was to get him and his men to leave Alison alone. If they raped her again, I didn't know if she could take it. I know that I couldn't.

**I was planning on replying to your wonderful reviews tonight, but Comcast decided to act up and I'm having a hard time getting into my email. I promise I will respond tomorrow. Because I love your reviews and I am so happy at how well this story is being received. My readers are the best! **


	9. Chapter 9

**As some of my fellow writers are aware, there is a problem with replying to reviews. You need to send private messages. Unfortunately, my life has been a little busy and that's an extra step that I just don't have the time to do right now. I will get to all of your wonderful reviews as soon as I can or FF fixes their problem. Rest assured, I treasure every review and really look forward to them.**

**I know that the last chapter was a little intense, but it calms down a bit now. Thank you all so much for reading!**

Chapter 9

House and Marianne both hoped they would get another call from Michael. They kept both of their cell phones on and with them at all times. But almost two weeks went by with no calls.

The one thing that House was determined about was to try to locate Michael. Cuddy's friend on the board gave her the name of his State Department contact. House and Marianne went to see the man. They brought the message to see if there was any way they could find their son.

Adam Lloyd was a gray haired man in his early fifties who spoke in a quiet measured voice. He understood that this couple was anxious about their son and wanted to help them, but…

"There is very little I can do. That country is at war and we have limited resources in interfering in a civil war."

"Come on, we get involved in other country's wars all the time." House said.

Lloyd gave a brief smile. "That's true to some extent. But we're in a dicey situation right now. President Marino is an ally, but Ramone is an unknown entity. If we interfere at the wrong time, we could cause more harm to the Americans that are still there than good."

Marianne was upset. "But Mr. Lloyd, our son and his wife…"

"Mrs. House, I understand and I sympathize completely. But the United States government is in a precarious situation at the moment. We've supported Marino, but evidence is now emerging that may lead us to believe that he was not the person the government thought he was."

"What's that mean?" House asked.

"He may have been more of a dictator than a democratic leader."

"And our government helped put him in power? Wait, I've heard this song before."

"Unfortunately."

"And our son is caught in the middle of this crap."

"Unfortunately."

"This is bullshit!"

"I'd agree with you on that, Dr. House."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Michael's Journal<strong>_

The group of rebels took the car we'd been driving and put us in their truck where they could watch us. We didn't know where they were taking us. They wouldn't answer our questions.

Almosa seemed to like baiting me, to see if he could get a rise out of me. I stayed cool. I wanted to explode, to rip his evil heart out, but I controlled myself. The goal was to stay alive and protect my wife.

We were taken far from where they picked us up. Where did they take us? At the time, I had no idea. Other than Jacinta City and the surrounding villages, I really knew very little of the geography of the country. Luckily Almosa left Alison alone. We were both on edge, fearing he would do something more, but he didn't.

We traveled for about three weeks, although I must confess, I lost track of the days. Staying alive seemed like the most important thing, not keeping a calendar.

Eventually we arrived at a village. Well, I guess you could call it a village. It was a lot more primitive than the villages around Jacinta City and I thought they were pretty bad. But the few houses – or should I say huts – here were really in bad shape. There were actually more beat up, dirty tents than even the huts. But there were a good many people roaming about.

I tried asking our captors where we were, but they just told us to shut up. They drove straight through the little village to the one actual house that stood there. Not that it was a big house or a nice house. But it was definitely a house.

They pulled up and forced us to get out. We realized the best thing to do was what our captors wanted – at least for now. So we followed them to the house.

There was only glass in a few of the windows, the rest were boarded up. It was stucco, but the color was faded from the hot sun. The roof had holes in it. I was pretty sure the place was a deserted wreck. But when we went inside, we could see it was a hotbed of activity. There were men, women, even children all over the place. Despite the mess outside, the interior was surprising clean. Shabby, yes, but scrubbed clean.

They marched us inside to a room towards the back. There was not a lot of furniture there, just a desk, a few chairs and a table. A door was open slightly revealing another room connected to it with a bed inside. A man came out when he heard us enter.

In Spanish he asked, "What have you brought, Almosa?"

Almosa replied, "The doctors from the villages, General."

"Ah." The man said, then looked at me. In broken English, he said, "I am Ramone. What is your name?"

"Uh, Michael Newman." I said, after a brief hesitation.

He nodded, then addressed Almosa. "You may leave us."

Almosa left the room, closing the door behind him. I wasn't sorry to see him go.

I couldn't believe I was face to face with the leader of the revolution, General Luis Ramone. I wasn't sure what I expected, probably someone who looked like Castro, with a beard and some sort of uniform. But the man in front of me was clean shaven and probably no older than about forty. He didn't look like the madman I'd assumed. His eyes were clear and intelligent looking. And he was wearing jeans and a khaki colored t-shirt.

He stared at me, silently for a few moments, then said, "You speak Spanish?" When I nodded, he continued in his native tongue, "You are a doctor?"

"Yes. A cardiologist." I thought I'd test his knowledge a bit.

He inclined his head and replied, "Ah, the heart. A very fine organ to study. And where in the United States do you work?"

"Princeton, New Jersey."

"The university. At one time, I had hoped to attend an American university."

I nodded. "The university is there. I work at a hospital near it."

He glanced at Alison. "This is your wife?"

"Yes."

"She is also a doctor?"

"Yes."

He sighed. "If only the women of our country had the opportunities that American women have."

Then he stared at her and I could see Alison flinch at his gaze, the memories of Almosa's attack still too vivid in her mind.

"She is frightened?" he asked me.

"Your man attacked her." I said through clenched teeth, holding her close to me.

His head shot up. "Who?"

"Almosa."

"Did he …rape her?"

"Yes."

"He will be punished. I do not approve of that. I am very sorry, Dr. Newman." Then he walked closer to Alison and looked into her eyes. "I am very, very sorry, Dr. Newman. Such a thing should never happen to a lady like you. I promise you, no one will touch you here."

I was amazed. This was a cultured, polite, intelligent man. I had been led to believe that I would be meeting a crazy terrorist. He might still be a terrorist, but certainly not in the mode I had expected.

"Why are we here?" I asked him.

"Because we need you. My people are sick and dying. I have no doctors here now. A few nurses, but they don't know American medicine."

"Then why attack the hospital in Jacinta City? There were lots of doctors there."

"Jacinta City was under control of Marino. We had to close the hospital there. We need to set up a new one here. The doctors are still working and some have even been sent home. I am hesitant to take any doctors from the city. I don't want any of Marino's soldiers to find us here. When I was told there were two doctors in the villages and away from the city, I knew I had to bring you here."

"How long are we to be your prisoners?"

He paused. "I suppose that is what you are, although I dislike that term. But you came to my country to help the people. That is all I am asking you to do. I will give you and your wife a clean and safe place to live. I promise you that no one will harm either of you. All I ask is that you give us some time here helping my people."

"The difference is that we made a choice before. We were dragged here."

"I am sorry about that. But it was the only way."

"Also, we were able to contact our family. They probably think we're dead."

He considered that. "I will make a deal with you. Work with us for a few weeks, take care of the people. And I will allow you to call your family. One phone call."

I liked the idea of that, but I still had to push the point. "So we are prisoners?"

He shrugged. "If that is the only way that I can get you to help, then, yes, you are. I am hoping that eventually you will want to help us."

I wasn't going to give him any encouragement on that front. Right now my goal was to keep Alison and myself alive, contact my family and find a way to get home. But staying alive was first and foremost. Nothing else could happen unless I did. And while Ramone seemed to be a more civilized man than I had thought, I still believed he could kill us if I didn't agree. Besides, what choice did I have?

"Fine." I said, "We'll treat your people. And in two weeks, you'll allow me to call my family."

He nodded. "Yes, if you work and take care of the people, I will personally allow you to call your family."

He put out his hand. I hesitated, then extended mine as well and shook his.

**Thanks again for reading and I do appreciate your comments!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Still can't respond to reviews! And I don't even know if FF is doing anything about it. I will try to get in and send messages to those of you who have commented. And I want you to know, again, how much I appreciate those reviews. It lets me know that you're reading and liking the story enough to take the time to comment or to add it as a favorite or put it on alert, etc. I really lov eyou guys!**

**In case you're confused, there are two different time lines here: House and Marianne's and Michael and Alison's. Eventually they will meet up, but right now, House's is a little ahead of Michael's. Hope that's clear.**

Chapter 10

House made sure his phone was with him, charged and turned on, wherever he went. He was not going to miss another call from Michael, should one come.

In the meantime, he continued working and living his life. When he was alone, he would play back Michael's message.

One day, Marianne asked him, "Greg, do you still have Michael's message?"

He nodded.

"I know this sounds silly, but could I hear it again?"

He smiled and pulled out his phone and played it for her. At the end, he could see the tears in her eyes, so he took her into his arms.

"It's okay, Meg. He's alive. We'll hear from him again."

But secretly, he wondered if that was true. If he was alive, why hadn't he called again?

Then, two weeks after the first call, his phone rang one evening when they were just about to go to bed.

The number was unknown so of course, he immediately answered it. He felt a lift in his heart when he heard his son's voice.

"Hi, Dad. I'm glad you answered this time."

House put the phone on speaker and said, "What's going on? Where are you?"

"I have no idea. The most I can tell you is that I am somewhere in Jacinta."

Marianne spoke up. "Michael, are you and Alison alright?"

"Yes, Mom, we're okay."

"We were so worried, honey. We thought…" Marianne couldn't finish, but House did it for her.

"We thought you were dead."

"Yeah, I figured that. Look, don't worry about us. I'm making sure that we survive. And I will get us home. I promise you that."

"When, Michael?" Marianne asked.

"I don't know that, but we will come home."

"Just stay alive." House told him. "Everything else can get worked out. But first you have to stay alive."

"Agreed, Dad. And I will do that. I guess Brianna is asleep?"

"She is." Marianne said.

"Okay, well, hopefully, I'll be able to call you again in two weeks. And I'll do it earlier and make sure Alison is here too so that we can talk to her."

He rang off then and House and Marianne just sat there for a while and stared at the phone, almost as if they were willing Michael's voice to come out of it some more. Then, by unspoken agreement, they went to bed and made love, holding each other after.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Michael's Journal<strong>_

Alison and I found the people in Ramone's village to be in much more desperate need of care than the ones in Jacinta City and even the surrounding villages there. There was one very old doctor who had tried to care for everyone, along with a few woman who had very rudimentary nursing training. But now he was usually sicker than the patients. There was another doctor who was a bit younger, but he spent most of his time with Ramone's army, treating his men. There was no equipment and practically no supplies. It was primitive medicine at its worst.

I felt exhilarated.

This was what I had come to Jacinta to do. And even though we were technically being held prisoner, we were still doing what we had wanted to do.

And the stories told by the people we treated was much different than what we had heard in Jacinta City. There, Ramone was painted as a madman, a terrorist.

But here, people told us of Marino's abuse of anyone who did not agree with him and of how Ramone had taken care of the people banished by Marino. Ramone brought them to this village and made sure they were protected and taken care of. The fights he'd had were to take care of the forgotten people of Jacinta.

We worked our asses off for the next two weeks. I almost forgot how many days it had been.

Almost, but not quite.

I went to see Ramone and reminded him of his promise.

"You have a good memory, Dr. Newman. Of course I will keep my promise."

He took out a cell phone that looked like one of the disposable types and handed it to me.

"Doctor, I would ask that you not reveal where we are. It is important to keep this location secret."

"Not a problem, since I don't know where we are."

I had thought about whom to call. I decided that my father's cell would be best. He almost always had it with him and would usually answer it. Although this would be an unfamiliar number, still, it was the best I could do.

I dialed the number and waited, but I got his voice mail. I left a message and hoped that he would listen to it. Ramone watched and listened the whole time, making sure that I didn't tell any secrets. As if I had any to tell.

When I was finished, I handed the phone back to him and said, "Thank you. I appreciate that."

He inclined his head. "And I appreciate how hard you and your wife have been working with my people."

"That's my job, why I came here in the first place."

"True. But as I have kept you as a prisoner, you did not have to work as hard as you have."

"I'm a doctor."

He nodded. I started to leave, but he called me back.

"If you would like, in two more weeks, you may call them again."

"I would like that, thank you."

"Perhaps they will be there to talk to you then."

"I hope so."


	11. Chapter 11

**Hopefully everyone's seen the season finale by now. If you haven't, all I will say is wow! Not that it really has any bearing on this story, since we're in a different reality here. I will try to get some responses out to those of you who are kind enough to review.**

**By the end of this chapter, the time line will be in sync. Sorry if it's confusing, it made sense to me as I wrote it.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 11<p>

Within two weeks, Michael called again. This time it was earlier in the day and Brianna was awake. Alison was on the line as well. The little girl was excited to hear her parents' voices, but also a bit shy. It had been several months and for a child her age, that was a long time. Without the weekly Skypes, she was beginning to forget them.

House could hear the disappointment in Michael and Alison's voices. He motioned for Marianne to take Brianna out.

"Say goodbye to Mommy and Daddy now, Bree."

"Bye." She said. Marianne took her to room and let her play with her dolls before returning to the living room.

When his wife and granddaughter left, he told his son, "She's too little. She hasn't seen you. It's hard for her to put it together. She'll be okay. Your mom talks about you all the time and shows her pictures and videos."

Michael gave a little laugh. "Man, Dad, you're trying to reassure me? Who are you and what have you done with Greg House?"

House smiled. "Just stating the truth."

When Marianne returned, she said, "Michael, how much longer will you be there?"

"I don't know, Mom. We're helping people, so it's hard to say."

"We'll come home as soon as we can, Marianne." Alison told her.

House and Marianne could sense the tension from the couple even over the phone. House was about to say something, but Marianne put her hand on his arm and shook her head.

"Okay, well, you know we'll continue to take good care of Brianna. And we just miss you."

"I know, Mom." Michael said.

They rang off a few minutes later.

Marianne went to House and he held her in his arms. It was wonderful to hear from them, but it was emotionally draining. Knowing that Michael and Alison were alive was a relief, but then there was the worry: would they be alright? When would they come home? Would they come home?

Marianne was always weepy for days afterwards and House was more testy than usual. They eventually settled down just in time for another phone call.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Michael's Journal<strong>_

We went back to caring for the people. At first I wondered why I was bothering, but the people needed help and that was what we there for. Alison agreed. I thought that was all I would do, but I was wrong.

The day after I made the call to my father, Ramone summoned me to his house. He was sitting with one of his lieutenants, Anton Ruiz. They were drinking and he invited me to join them. I decided it was best to stay on his good side, so I accepted.

Most of Ramone's men were peasants, farmers and workers who banded with him in the hoped of a better life. Some were thugs, like Almosa, used mostly for their brute strength.

Ruiz was different. I could tell that right away. He was silent most of the time and when he did speak, it was quietly and with intelligence. I thought that was probably why Ramone liked and trusted him. And maybe that was why he wanted me to join them that evening.

We drank and we talked. The sort of discussions that intelligent men have. I hadn't had a talk like that since I'd been with my father. By the end of the evening, I was feeling satiated by the drink and the conversation. I went back to the hut where Alison and I were living with a bit of a wobble in my step.

My wife was waiting up for me.

"Where were you?" she asked me.

"With Ramone."

"Why?"

"He offered me a drink and we talked."

"Looks like more than one drink. And what could you have to talk to that man about?"

"He's not a bad guy, Al."

"Michael, he's holding us prisoner! That does not add up to a 'nice' guy."

I knew she was right about that part, but I felt there was more to Ramone than the revolutionary. I could see it in the people that he was taking care of and the way he cared about them.

During the next two weeks, he invited me to his house often to drink with him and Ruiz. I found that Ramone had a wife and children that he never saw.

"It is too dangerous, Miguel." He liked to call me 'Miguel'. "If my enemies knew that I was visiting my family, they would have a weapon to use against me. My wife tells everyone that she will have nothing to do with me. It is only her faith, she says, that stops her from divorcing me.

"This is not true, of course. We send messages back and forth, but no one knows. The people in her village see nothing except that her 'cousin' visits her occasionally to help her with the children." He inclined his head towards Ruiz.

"You're her cousin?" I asked him.

"No." he said. "But it's best if they believe that."

Ruiz confused me more and more the longer I knew him. He was younger than Ramone, closer to my age. He wouldn't speak much of his family, only mentioning his mother occasionally and the Spanish sayings he learned from her. But he said nothing of his father or any siblings. He also wouldn't say if his mother was alive or dead.

He didn't seem to fit in with the other men either, but for some reason he and I got along really well. I didn't understand it, but I accepted it. It was good to find a friend.

Alison wasn't happy about my new friendships, but she didn't complain too much, since she knew she was part of the reason that I needed to seek them.

Ever since her attack, she hadn't been able to make love to me. I understood, of course and I never pressured her or tried to force her. I would never do that. But I missed the closeness we'd shared before.

Oh, I would hold her. I think she felt safer and could sleep better with my arms around her. But she couldn't go further than that.

So I would wait until she was asleep and then I would take things into my own hand. I don't know if it woke her up or not. I tried not to, but there was nothing I could do if it did. If she couldn't understand, well, that was too bad. It was what it was.

I tried to talk to her about it, but she refused. I would never think of cheating on her, even though there were available women. But I needed companionship of some sort. Everyone did.

She found hers with the children. There were a lot of them in the village. Some had parents there, but most were orphans or the whereabouts of their parents was unknown. So she took it upon herself to be their 'mother'. No matter where she went, there were usually three or four children following her.

Perhaps it made her miss Brianna less. Perhaps she felt safe with them. I didn't know. But she was content with the children, so I didn't complain. Still, I missed my wife.

So those evenings with Ramone and Ruiz were good for me. Drinking the best tequila I had ever tasted and having deep discussions about so many things.

I told them about my fathers, how I had been raised by one man before meeting my real father as an adult. They were fascinated by the story. I also told them that Gregory House was the most brilliant doctor, the most brilliant man, I had ever known.

Ramone spoke of his children. "I haven't seen my children in five years. My oldest son, Esteban, is eighteen. A man now. And I can't be there to guide him. My daughter Teresa, she is my angel. She is thirteen now and from what Ruiz tells me, beautiful. I can't be there to keep the boys away from her."

"Why do you do this?" I asked him.

"What?"

"Why do all of this? Why not give it up and be with your family? Is it worth it?"

He sighed. "Some days, I think, no, it is not worth it. But most days, I know it is. To bring this country out of the darkness that was Marino's rule and allow our people the freedom to live as they wish and with dignity. That is worth it."

I nodded. I don't know if I could have made such a sacrifice, but I admired him for his.

At the end of two weeks, he allowed me another phone call. It was early evening and since we were about an hour earlier than New Jersey, I decided to call my father's cell phone again.

This time he answered.

Hearing my parents' voices was wonderful. I could tell they were worried and I tried to reassure them.

After that, we called them about every two weeks. I think it helped us to keep going. Talking to them and Brianna. Even though at first she seemed awkward with us, eventually it got better.

I had a dream one night that I was home in Princeton, at our house. It was a Sunday in early spring and I was outside washing my car.

That's it, that was the entire dream. Me washing my car. No great revelations. Except that I felt happy and at peace. I don't feel a lot of that these days. And I can't help but wonder if I will ever spend an easy Sunday like that again.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

House spent the days in between Michael's calls doing his job. Since he'd found out that his son was alive, his mood was better though he was still tense. Talking to Michael helped a lot, but having him home would be even better. The closer he got to that outcome, the happier he'd be.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Michael's Journal<strong>_

About three months after we arrived in Ramone's village, he asked if he could talk with me privately. This was not one of our drinking and talking nights. This was in the morning and it was just after Ruiz had returned. I could tell the man hadn't been to bed or even washed from his journey. I wasn't sure where he'd been, but I was about to find out.

Ramone was obviously upset about something. And it was not the country's problems this time. His eyes told me that it was something else.

"Miguel, I need your help."

"Okay." I said.

"Ruiz just returned from visiting my family. My daughter, my Teresa, is sick."

"What's the matter with her?"

"I don't know." He said.

"No one can figure it out." Ruiz told me. "The doctors there don't know what it is."

"You said you and your father took the cases of people who no other doctors could cure."

I nodded.

"I need you to do that for my daughter."

"But I'd have to examine her."

"Exactly." Ramone said.

I stared at him, wondering if he meant what I thought he meant. "Are you saying…?"

"Yes. I need you to go to my home and examine my daughter."

"No." I said simply.

"No? Why no? You don't want to help me?" He looked hurt.

"I want to help you, but I can't. I can't leave my wife alone and I won't take her into the jungle. So I can't."

"You can leave her here."

I shook my head. "She hasn't gotten over the attack. She would be upset if I left her."

He stood straight and looked me square in the eyes. "I promise you, Miguel, on the lives of my children, that I will personally guarantee the safety of your wife. Even if I have to guard her myself."

"Hah, she's more afraid of you than anyone."

He smiled, as he knew this was true. "Then I will let you select someone to guard her. And I will guard the guard. Nothing will happen to her."

I looked at him. I knew that he wouldn't ask this of me if it wasn't important to him. I could refuse, but I didn't want to. I realized that I considered him a friend and I wanted to help him.

"Alison is not going to like it, but I'll do it."

"Thank you, Miguel.'

"Good." Ruiz said. "We leave tonight."

"We?"

"Ruiz is the only one who knows where my family is. He will take you. But he always leaves at night so that no one sees him leave."

That made sense. "Okay. Line up that guard for Alison and I'll get myself ready."

Alison was not happy.

"You're going to leave me alone here to help that man? The one who is keeping us prisoner?"

"I'm sorry, Al. But he's my friend and he needs my help."

"Your friend? I'm your wife!"

"I know."

She stopped and I knew she was trying not to cry. "Michael, I don't want to sound like a nagging bitch. But I need you."

I pulled her into my arms and held her tight. "I know, baby. I'm just going to be gone a few days. I'll be back, I promise. And Ramone has promised to keep you safe."

"That man is not coming anywhere near me."

"I know. We've got a better guard for you."

She looked skeptical and I motioned to someone standing in the shadows. It was one of the women fighters that Ramone used. She was tall and muscular and very good with both her hands and a gun.

She spoke in Spanish to Alison. "Dr. Newman, I will be with you night and day until your husband returns."

I looked at Alison and she sighed and nodded. "Alright, Michael. But please be careful and hurry back."

It was almost midnight when we left. We traveled all night, taking a jeep part of the way, then leaving it in a barn and continuing on foot for several miles. Eventually, we picked up another car. I assumed Ruiz had this worked out to keep the location secret, but he didn't explain anything to me.

We did talk some on the journey, but not much about his past. I liked Ruiz, despite his secretive ways. He was about my age and I don't know why, but I felt that we had a lot in common. It didn't make sense. He was a revolutionary who had grown up in Central America, probably poor and in a small village. A far cry from an American who had grown up in New York City with every advantage. I doubted he had even finished high school – most people here hadn't – let alone gone to college.

Not that he was stupid. We'd had some very good discussions, along with Ramone and he was very intelligent. I wondered where he'd learned all of that, but he just said he liked to read.

Still, he perplexed me. He never spoke English, yet I had the feeling he understood everything that was said, whether it was in English or Spanish.

He did have good survival skills. While we were on foot, he took me easily through the route, keeping us hidden and still on a good path. The man was a mystery, but I liked him anyway.

When we reached the village, it was still dark, even though it was almost dawn. He took me to a small house on the outskirts of the town. He knocked once, paused, then knocked three more times. After a few moments, the door was opened by a woman. I assumed she was Ramone's wife, as she was about his age. She was petite, with dark hair and dark eyes and very pretty. But there was a weariness in her eyes. I guess being the wife of the leader of a revolution was tiring.

She nodded when she saw Ruiz and he told her that I was the doctor. She let us in.

"Before you see Teresa, Doctor, would you like something to eat or drink?"

"I'd love some water. And a place to wash up a little first."

She nodded and led me to her kitchen. It was small, but clean. She poured me some water from a pitcher and then poured more into a basin and handed me a towel. I drank and washed as best I could, then asked to see her daughter.

I spent the next three days examining the child. Using my father's methods, I checked out the house, the village, her friends. I had my suspicions as to what it could be, but considering the conditions, I had no way to test my theories, nor the medications to treat it should I be right.

There was only one way that I knew of to help her.

**A/N: This part of the story focuses more on Michael, so sorry there isn't alot of House in this chapter. There will be more later, but this needs to be done now.**

**But yay, FF seems to have made some changes and I can answer your reviews which I promise I will do! Thanks for reading and commenting. And thanks to everyone who has put this story or me on alert or made it a favorite. And also for reading some of my older stories as well. I really love you guys!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

_**Michael's Journal**_

Ruiz and I brought Teresa back to Ramone's village with us. Ramone was surprised to see her, but we were careful not to let anyone know who she was. As soon as we arrived, I spoke to him privately.

"There's nothing I can do for her here. I can't test her, I can't treat her. The only thing I could do would be make her comfortable and watch while she dies. Somehow I don't think that's the result you wanted."

He looked pained as he said, "Then why did you bring her here?"

"I have a few ideas of what it might be." I told him.

"You do?"

"Yes, but I have no way to either test her or try possible treatments."

"But you think she can be helped?"

"It's possible. It's very possible. But it can't happen here."

He looked at me. "What are you saying?"

"I'd like to send her to the United States. To my father. If there's anyone in the world who can figure out what's wrong with her, it's my father."

"How could we do that?"

"I ask my father to treat her and we send her there."

He shook his head. "We couldn't. It would be too dangerous. I can't leave and if Lena went with her, who would take care of the other children? Besides, my wife is known and it would be dangerous for her in the United States."

I took a deep breath. I knew he was going to say this. I'd been thinking about how to answer.

"Well, I have an idea. We send her there with a different name and with an unrelated person as her medical guardian."

"And who could we send?"

"My wife. She's a doctor, so she'll know what to do and she worked for my father too, so she's smart. But she's also careful, so she won't allow anything that would hurt Teresa."

He turned away from me and looked out the window for a few seconds. I could see that he was thinking about it.

"And would you wish to go with her?"

I knew that if I asked I could probably get him to allow me to go home. But somehow I knew I couldn't leave, not yet.

"I want to, but not right now."

He turned back and looked at me, amazement on his face. "Why not?"

"Because I'm needed here. I'm not going to desert the people that need me."

He didn't speak, but I saw the admiration and gratitude in his eyes. Finally, he nodded, then said, "But will your father take her as a patient. You said he doesn't always."

"Only one way to find out." I said, motioning to the phone.

He picked it up and handed it to me. I dialed my father's cell phone as I usually did. It was early evening, so I hoped he would be at home and not at the hospital. I didn't want anyone from the team knowing what we were doing.

My father answered on the second ring. I think he was accustomed now to the unfamiliar numbers and the possibility that it was me.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hi, Dad, it's me. Are you at home?"

"Michael." I could hear him putting the phone on speaker. "Yes, I'm home."

"Good. I have a favor to ask you." I began to tell him about Teresa and what ideas I had as to what was wrong with her.

"Did you…" he began, but I interrupted him.

"I did nothing. There is nothing to test her with and nothing to treat her with."

"That sucks."

"Right. I want to send her there to you."

"Okay." It wasn't usual for Greg House to agree to take a patient without complaint, but I think I could have asked him anything right then.

"I'm going to send Alison with her as medical guardian."

He was silent, then he asked, "Her parents can't come?"

"Dad, General Ramone is her father. He can't exactly leave the revolution."

"Guess not."

"I'll get a complete history before they get there."

"Okay."

Ramone made a sound and I looked up. He reached his hand out for the telephone. I handed it to him.

"Doctor House?" he asked in heavily accented English.

"Yes." My father said warily.

"I am Luis Ramone. I want to tell you…" he hesitated, searching for the words.

House interrupted. "Senor, hablo espanol."

"Ah, muy bueno!" Ramone said, relieved. Continuing in Spanish, "My daughter is very special to me. I thank you for agreeing to care for her. If you can make her well, you will have my deep gratitude."

"I don't want your gratitude." My father told him. "I want my son back."

"Of course you do. You will have him."

"Then I'll take care of your daughter."

Ramone handed the phone back to me. I spoke once more. "I'll call you as soon as we have the arrangements made. Dad, it's important – no one can know who she is. Just say she's a child that Alison and I were caring for, an orphan if you must, I don't care. But no one can know it's Ramone's daughter."

"I got it."

"Will you be able to handle Cuddy?"

He laughed. "I've always been able to handle Cuddy."

I smiled. That was true. "Okay, I'll call you soon. Probably tomorrow."

"Okay. Michael, be careful."

"I will, Dad. Goodbye."

I disconnected, then looked at Ramone. "Okay, so how soon can you get a plane here?"

He had it there really fast. I don't know where he got it from and I didn't ask. I barely had enough time to talk to Alison to convince her to leave and to explain why I couldn't.

Actually, convincing her to go home wasn't hard. She was more than ready to leave Jacinta and be with Brianna and the rest of our family and friends. Explaining why I was staying was much harder.

"Why do you need to stay? All you need to tell him is that you have to be in Princeton to care for his daughter and he'll let you go."

"I know." I told her.

"Then why are you staying?"

I couldn't easily explain that to her. I did try. "I'm not finished here."

"Not finished? Not finished what? Not finished being a prisoner? Not finished being dragged through the jungle? Not finished being Ramone's trained puppet?"

I knew she was still suffering from all that had happened, especially to her, but I wasn't. I actually liked the work that I was doing. And…

"I have a feeling there is more that I need to do here. I can't leave yet."

"Oh, yes, Michael, please, stay. Stay until you get killed. That will be so much better. Will you be 'finished' then?"

"Alison…"

She just shook her head. "You're just like your father. You'll do whatever you want to do, without consideration for anyone else. So go, do it. I'm going home. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and pack the few things that I have in this hellhole." She walked away without looking back at me.

How could I explain it to her, when I couldn't completely understand it myself? I just knew in my gut that I needed to stay there. That there was something more for me to do there.

Alison spent the next half hour packing the few things that she had there.

I stood outside our hut and waited for her. When she came out, she looked at me with tears behind her eyes.

"Michael, please, come home with me."

I looked at the ground, then back at her. "I can't. I'll be home, just not now."

She bit her lip. "Maybe I should stay with you."

I knew she was just being a supportive wife. She hated it here and she wanted, no, _needed_ to leave.

I took her face in my hands. "Al, you need to get help to deal with what happened. No, don't fight me on that. You know it's true. You need to go home, spend time with Bree and get some help. Then, when I come home, we can move on and have a terrific life together."

She stared at me and I knew she realized that what I'd said was right. Her desire to be a loyal wife fought with her need to survive. Finally, she nodded.

"Okay, I'll go. But don't stay too long, Michael. You may not get another opportunity to leave. If you do get one, promise me you'll take it."

"I promise."

"Promise deal?"

I smiled. She was using my mom's way of getting me to keep a promise. But if it meant that much to her.

"Promise deal. I won't wait too long."

"You'd better not. Because you know House is going to torture me on why did I let you stay. He's not going to stop until you're home."

"Tell him I know what I'm doing."

Her expression got serious. "But do you, Michael? Do you really know what you're doing?"

She just went to say goodbye to the children. The plane will take off within the hour and it will take her out of here and back to Princeton. This is the last I'll write for a while. I'm going to give her this journal to give to my father to read. If I can get some more paper or another notebook, I'll continue. But right now, I want him to read this and to maybe understand.

**A/N: Sorry there wasn't alot of House in this chapter, but it was important to tell Michael's story here. Once again, thanks so much for reading and if you can send me a review, it's greatly appreciated.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

After Michael's phone call about Ramone's daughter, House considered the situation. The way he saw it, there were two possibilities:

One: the girl wasn't seriously ill. It was just a ploy to get Ramone to allow Cameron to come home with the child. House could understand Michael doing that. Hell, he would lie, cheat or steal to get his woman out of harm's way. He would expect nothing less of his son.

And then, when House "miraculously" cured her, Ramone would send Michael home as he'd promised.

It was a very good plan.

Of course, the other possibility was that the girl was really, seriously ill. House might have a good puzzle, but what would happen if he couldn't figure out what was wrong or it was too late and he couldn't help her? Would Ramone take it out on Michael?

Those were things that worried him as he waited for the arrival of Cameron and Ramone's daughter.

He had already convinced Cuddy that he had to take on this patient. She was skeptical.

"Who is this girl?"

"Just an orphan that Michael and Cameron have been taking care of. Michael can't test or treat her there with what he has, so he wants me to do it."

"And they're letting Cameron leave with her?"

"Yeah, amazing isn't it?"

"And she has no family to come with her?"

"No, the, uh, orphanage made Cameron the medical guardian to make decisions for her."

Cuddy stared at him for while. She knew that he was lying. How? His mouth was open. But she also knew that he usually had a good reason for lying to her. And Cameron coming home was a good thing. Maybe Michael would soon follow and House could relax. Well, relax for him.

"Okay, I guess we can take care of her. What do you need?"

"An ambulance to meet the plane."

Cuddy nodded and made the arrangements for him.

Their plane landed in Newark and the ambulance was there as promised and took them directly to PPTH. Alison barely has time to register that she was home before she was at the hospital. Still, it felt wonderful to be on American soil again.

Teresa was taken to a hospital room that was waiting for her and House's team were there in minutes to begin the tests that Michael had told House he wanted. House figured he might as well start with that. If they didn't pan out, he could try others, but that was a good beginning.

Once the team had started, Alison headed for Diagnostics. She peered in the window of his office and saw her former employer and current father in law sitting at his desk, staring out the window. She quietly opened the door and stood just inside, watching him.

Without turning around, House said, "It's rude to stare, Cameron. I taught you better than that."

She smiled. "How did you know it was me?"

"I could hear you caring from across the room." He told her, turning around as she walked to his desk. "And the team told me the ambulance was here. I knew you couldn't be in this building more than five minutes without seeking out my glorious presence."

She smiled again, but as he watched her, he saw pain in her eyes. He got up and went to her. She was still smiling, but it never reached her eyes.

"How's Michael?" he asked her.

"Fine." She said quickly.

"Just fine? Something wrong?"

"No, physically, he's fine."

"But…"

She shook her head. "Nothing. I just hoped he would come with me. But he, oh well, he will eventually."

There was something else bothering her and it wasn't Michael. He wanted to know, but minutes after she walked in the door was not the best time to grill her.

She reached into the bag she had with her and pulled out Michael's journal. She handed it to House. He took it with a perplexed look.

"What's this?" he asked.

"It's Michael's journal. He's been writing in it since we went to Jacinta, but the early stuff is boring. It's what he wrote after we were captured that matters. And he told me that he wanted you to read it."

"Just me?" He asked.

"No, Marianne can read it too. But he wants you to read it first."

He stared at the dog-eared notebook, then looked at her. "Did you read it?"

"I started to, but it was … I didn't want…I couldn't." She stared at her hands, ashamed to meet his eyes. "There are things that happened and I didn't want to …read about them."

House pretty much guessed what she was talking about. As he had done once before, he placed a hand on her shoulder, nodded and said, "You'll handle it."

She took a deep breath and as before, got strength from his confidence in her. The day was long past when she had her silly schoolgirl crush on him, but she still had a deep affection and respect for him. And winning his praise – in any form – was always gratifying.


	15. Chapter 15

**People who were asking for more House/Cameron interaction will like this chapter. For my Hameron friends, I am attempting to salvage Cameron's character that the series so easily destroyed. **

**I know that there hasn't been a lot of House in this story, but one needs to follow the muse. At least it's House's DNA in Michael, so that counts for something, doesn't it?**

**Anyway, thanks for everyone who is reading this and commenting. I do really love you guys.**

Chapter 15

House tried to treat Teresa Ramone the way he did any other patient, but it was hard not to believe his son's future was dependent on the outcome.

The child was awake and a little confused about why she was there, even though her father had explained it to her and warned her not to tell anyone who she was. House's team didn't know either, but they were suspicious when House warned them not to let other hospital personnel near her. They knew something was up, but they also knew it was best not to push their boss, especially since this patient had something to do with Michael.

Once she was sure Teresa was being taken care of by House's team and that she wasn't needed at that moment, Alison had left the hospital to see her daughter.

The reunion wasn't exactly as she'd hoped. The little girl was shy and unsure of the woman who was holding her even though she said she was mommy.

"Give her a little time." Marianne told her. "She's just not used to you. And she's so young. Once she understand that you're the mommy she's been crying for, she'll be fine."

Alison nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat. So many emotions were overwhelming her. The guilt at having left her daughter to help a government that was corrupt. The pain of her separation from her husband. The worry that he might never make it home and the guilt (again) of not being a true wife to him in the last few months she'd been with him. Not to mention the repercussions from the attack that she was still trying to come to terms with.

House followed Michael's request and read the journal. The words amazed him, both at the events and the insight into his son. He didn't think he could love or admire the young man more than he already did, but reading his journal made him believe that he could.

When he finished, he handed it to his wife. Marianne took it with a bit of trepidation.

"Do I want to read this?" she asked.

"Yes." House told her. "You may not like all of it, but you need to read it. It's…Michael."

She nodded and took the book.

Later that afternoon, House saw Cameron sitting by the window just staring out at the beautiful fall day. He was going to retreat when she spoke.

"You finished reading, didn't you?" She didn't turn around.

"Yes." He said.

She nodded. "So you know what happened."

"Yes."

"I guess you think I'm pathetic."

"Why would I think that?"

She turned now and looked at him. "For letting that happen to me. For not being able to get over it."

"Doesn't seem like you _let_ anything. More like someone decided and you had no say in it. Michael either."

She swallowed, the emotion high in her. "I haven't made love to Michael since it happened."

"Understandable."

"No, it's not! He's my husband. He has every right to expect his wife to have sex with him."

"It's not about rights. It's about giving you time to get over it."

"But that's not it. Or that's not all of it. I could have…except, I was ashamed. Because Michael was there. He saw it."

"And you're ashamed?"

She nodded.

"God, you're right. I do think you're pathetic. Not because you got raped. Because you think my son is so shallow that he would blame you for it."

"How could he make love to me and not see that animal?"

"He could because he loves you and he wants you. At least he did before he left."

"I felt so bad for him. He would hold me, but I wouldn't let him do anything. Then, after I was asleep, he'd take care of things himself."

"If you were asleep…" House began.

"I wasn't always. He tried very hard to be quiet and still, but, well, you know."

"Yeah."

Suddenly the tears burst forth. "What am I going to do? I love him so much! And I may lose him."

The last thing House wanted to deal with was a crying female. "Maybe you should talk to Marianne."

"No, please, I feel like you, I don't know, you just…" she couldn't finish as the tears kept falling.

"Oh, hell." He pulled her into his arms and let her cry her eyes out. By the time it let up, his shirt was soaked through and her eyes were beet red.

She backed away and wiped at her leaking eyes. "I'm sorry. I ruined your shirt."

"It's okay."

"I just needed a man's shoulder to cry on. And you're the closest thing to Michael."

He nodded. "Feeling better."

"Yes. I think I understand why that girl wanted you that time."

"Why?"

"People are considerate, careful. Always afraid they'll upset the poor girl who's been raped. But not you. You're not careful with anyone. And sometimes that's good."

He rolled his eyes, but he let her keep on weeping. When she seemed to stumble a bit, he told her, "Sit down."

She did and he sat beside her. She rested her head on his shoulder and he put his arm around her.

She laughed a little then. "You, know about five years ago, this would have made me so excited."

"What, I don't excite you anymore?"

"Not like that. You're Michael's father now and …"

"So now you think of me as your father?"

"In a way, but not exactly. You've been a lot of things to me. Boss, teacher, friend?" She looked up at him with that last word.

He nodded. "Yeah, okay, we're friends. And since you are my daughter-in-law, sort of like a daughter. Does that bother you?"

"No. I like that." She rested her head again on his shoulder while he sat back against the sofa. They didn't need to talk and that was nice.

About a half an hour later, Marianne walked in. She was a little surprised to see them like that, House with his arm around Alison and her asleep with her head on his chest.

House opened his eyes and smiled at his wife. Carefully, he lifted Alison's head from him and lowered it to the pillow on the sofa, then he got up and walked away.

"It's not…" he began.

"I know. I just finished reading Michael's journal. That poor girl. She needed you and that's okay. I know you wouldn't do anything wrong."

He laughed quietly, then leaned over and kissed her. "Are you really that smart or do you just trust me?"

"Both." She told him, as she linked her arm in his and led him from the room.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

House found himself worried several times over the next few days, when Teresa Ramone's illness took several twists and turns.

House asked Cameron, "How vindictive is Ramone?"

"What do you mean?"

"If we don't cure her, will he take it out on Michael?"

She considered that for a few moments. "I didn't know him as well as Michael does, but I don't think so. From all indications, he seems to be fairly reasonable. Still, this is his child and who can say how a man will react when it comes to his child?"

"That tells me absolutely nothing."

"Sorry." She said with a shrug. "That's all I know."

He nodded and went back to his team.

They worked almost round the clock for ten days. House felt his heart drop in his stomach when the girl crashed. But they brought her back and got her on a respirator until they figured it out.

Michael would call daily, sometimes twice. At first House was reluctant to tell him much, until he assured him that Ramone was not listening in.

"I told him we can't do our jobs with a family member hanging around. He agreed to stay out of it and let you do what you can."

"What happens if we can't cure her?"

Michael was silent. "I honestly don't know, Dad. Let's make sure that doesn't happen."

"That's not reassuring me." House told him.

"Sorry. That's the best I can do."

The team worked almost around the clock, but every time they thought they had it, they hit a dead end. House was sweating it, afraid that Michael's life depended on the girl's recovery.

In the end, it was Cameron who came up with the answer. It was an odd presentation of an actually pretty routine condition. She needed some medication, treatment and physical therapy that would take a few months, so Alison arranged for her to go to a physical rehab facility that would get her well.

During the time House was treating the girl, when he and Michael talked on the phone, they would start with the treatment options. But once they'd finished discussing their young patient, they talked of other things.

Early on in this time, House told his son, "I read your journal."

"What did you think?" Michael asked him.

"Do you really need to know what I think?"

Michael chuckled. "I guess not."

"Why did you want me to read it? And why first?"

"I needed you to understand what I'm going through, why I'm here."

"I know what you're going through, but I will never understand why you're there."

"Really?"

'Okay, maybe. But I wasn't wrong. It was stupid of you to go and it's stupid of you to stay there if you can come home."

"It may not have been the smartest idea to come here, but I know that I need to stay for awhile."

"Why?"

"I can't explain it, but trust me when I say I need to stay."

"Okay."

"That's it? Okay?"

"If you need to stay, you need to stay. I trust you."

"Thanks, Dad."

His wife was not as trusting of his judgment. Every time Michael called, Alison had only one question for him: "When are you coming home?"

"I don't know. As soon as I can."

"You can come home. I know that Ramone will let you if you ask him."

"I know."

"Then why don't you?"

"I just can't, Al. I can't explain it, but I just can't. But while I'm here," he told her, "You need to get some help to deal with…everything."

She was silent.

"Al, I when I come back, I want us to be like we were before."

"Michael, we'll never be exactly like we were."

"I know, but we can be a real couple again."

"Is that why you want me to get therapy? So that I'll have sex with you again."

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't care about that, but I want you to be whole again. I can't bear to see you in pain."

"I'd be in less pain if you were here to help me."

"I know. But I can't come home right now."

_**Michael's Journal**_

I was able to get some paper from Ramone so that I could continue writing. It was really cathartic for me to write what I'm feeling and doing here. I didn't do it for a few days after Alison left and I felt lost.

So here I go again.

I missed Alison when she left, but I was also happy for the freedom to do as I pleased without worrying about being there for her.

Not that I was doing anything wrong. But since she'd been attacked, I'd felt that I had to watch out for her and make sure she was okay. Now that she was home, I could relax. And I knew that my mother and father would take care of her for me, just like they were taking care of Brianna.

My mother should have had ten kids. She'd have been exactly the same if she had. Calm and patient in any situation. I'd never really asked her, but I guess my dad must have been sterile, since she hadn't gotten pregnant when they were married. Unless she couldn't have any more after me. Like I said, I never asked.

But she always opened her home to every kid in the neighborhood. They all gathered at our house. It was great being that kid. And as I got to be a teenager, my friends always wanted to be there too, because my mom was young and was a definite MILF. That made me a little uncomfortable, thinking about what my friends were probably thinking about my mom. But mom was always so cool that she put everyone at ease.

She'd mother Alison and make her feel safe.

And my father would be tough enough to get her to face the situation. Greg House wasn't a man to mince his words or hold back what he was thinking. He'd tell her the truth and get her on the right path.

She needed that too.

No, Alison was in good hands. Without having to worry about her, I can do what I need to do here. I'm still not sure what that is, but I'll know it when I find it.

In the meantime, I'm taking care of the sick and injured and having evenings of drinking and playing cards with Ramone and Ruiz.

I was happy that my father was able to figure out what was wrong with Teresa. I wasn't afraid that Ramone would take it out on me if he couldn't, but you never know. I know the man was worried sick while we weren't sure what it was. Once we had and she was on the road to recovery, I could see him relax.

It amazed me that a man like that, wrapped up in the revolution and saving his country could still be so tied up when his daughter was ill. I guess deep down people are the same. A father loves his daughter no matter what.

I was learning so many things in this place. Mostly I was learning about myself and the limits that I had. And when those limits were challenged, I learned more about myself than I ever had or ever thought I would.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Alison knew that she had to seek help in dealing with what had happened to her. Michael had implored her to do so. But strangely, it was what House said that convinced her.

A few days after she had cried and fell asleep on him, he spoke to her.

"So what are you going to do about this?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've been moping around here since you came back. While it doesn't really matter to me, I may run out of shirts for you to ruin. And my specialty isn't psychiatry, thank god."

"YOU want me to see a psychiatrist?"

"Hey, just because I don't need one doesn't mean others don't. You're just touchy-feely enough to get something from that stuff."

Alison smiled. In his way, he was telling her that he thought she should get help. And if House thought that, she realized that she probably should.

She checked the hospital's directory and found someone who was experienced with rape and made an appointment. She knew it would be hard, but she had to take this step if she ever intended to have a marriage with Michael again.

_**Michael's Journal**_

I knew that my family wanted me to come home and I knew that Ramone would let me should I ask. But I still felt that it wasn't my time to leave. So I continued working with the people. Sometimes I would travel to the surrounding villages to help some of the other people. Usually, Ruiz would come with me to be sure Marino's men didn't get me.

It was on one of these runs that I met Nita. She was working in the small village we entered and she was not happy to see us. That surprised me, as most of the people loved Ramone and were relieved when he showed interest in their villages.

Not so with Nita Lopez.

"We don't need you and we don't want you here. Go back to that pig, Ramone and leave us alone."

"I'm a doctor." I told her. "I'm here to help the people."

She laughed bitterly. "Ramone wants to help us? Ha, that's funny. That he wants to exterminate us, I can believe."

She had to be nuts. "How can you say that? Ramone has done so much for the people."

"Yes, killed those people who disagree with him." I'm sure she could see the shock on my face because she asked, "Are you a friend of his?"

"Yes."

She shook her head. "Then you'll never believe me."

"I'm also an American. I don't have any real stake in this conflict. I came here to help people and it doesn't matter which side of the fight they're on. So try me."

"If you think you are his friend, you need to watch your back. He's been known to kill his friends."

"What are you talking about?"

"My husband, Hector Lopez was his friend. And Luis Ramone killed him in cold blood. And Hector's father as well."

I couldn't believe it, even though she seemed sincere. I studied her for a few minutes.

She was a little older than me, but not much. Or maybe she wasn't. Her face, though very beautiful, was etched with pain. I'm sure it had added more than a few years to her.

Then she nodded and walked with every expectation that I would follow her.

I did.

She showed me around the small village where she lived. It was hard to believe that a place could be poorer than the one Ramone was living in, but this one was.

Over the next few days, I saw people that needed my help. But these people weren't full of praise for Ramone. And I saw a lot of Nita Lopez. She seemed to be in charge there, but she always seemed to find an opportunity to be where I was and spend time with me.

She spoke more of her husband. "Ramone betrayed him and killed him. I know you think he is the savior and Marino is the devil, but that's not true."

Little by little, I learned about two boys who had grown up together and been like brothers, until Ramone started his revolution. When his friend did not agree with him, Ramone killed him.

"And now Ramone is the 'hero' and my husband is dead!"

"I'm sorry for your loss, but it's just so hard for me to believe."

"Believe it. And don't trust his trained monkey Ruiz either. He's the one who betrayed Hector for his own gain. And no one ever knew him before all of this."

I wasn't sure if I believed her, but when others told me similar stories, it began to seem real to me.

And Nita Lopez was a compelling woman. Smart and sexy. She took care of the people, even though her hatred of Ramone was so prevalent. Still, it made her passionate.

So passionate that one evening when we were walking back to our tents, I saw desire on her face and I couldn't help but respond to it.

She pressed her body up to mine, as close as she could get. I could smell her musky scent. My sex-deprived body was reacting to her and I could feel my dick hardening. The smile on her face told me she could feel it too. She reached up and kissed me, her arms wrapping around my neck.

I wanted it. Dear God, I wanted it so bad. She was beautiful and sexy and willing and I wanted it, I wanted her.

I kissed her frantically and reached under her shirt to cup her breasts. They were full and round and felt amazing.

She whispered in my ear, 'Yes, caro, yes, oh, yes!"

Maybe it was her voice, maybe it was the feel of her body, different from the one I was used to. I'm not sure why, but I finally came to my senses. I let her go and I took a step back.

I shook my head. "I can't do this."

"Yes, yes you can." She said. "I want it, you want it. What is there to stop us?"

"I have a wife."

She looked around her. "Is she here?"

"No, she's back home in the US."

"Then again, I ask you, what is there to stop us?"

"There's me." I turned away and considered my words before turning back to her. "I just can't do it. I love her and I won't betray her that way."

"You're a fool!" she spat out.

"I know. You're a beautiful woman and most men would take what you're offering, but I just can't. I'm sorry, Nita."

She stared at me a few more seconds, then shook her head and walked away.

I lay in my tent that night and relieved the sexual tension as best I could. I knew I had done the right thing, but I still felt guilty. Because as I took care of myself that night, it wasn't my beautiful Alison that I imagined, but a Latin beauty.

I know that everyone fantasizes about other people. I'm sure Alison does too. But most people fantasize about strangers, about movie stars or models or rock singers. People that they'll never, ever meet or have a chance of ever being with.

But Nita Lopez was a few yards away from me. I had held her and kissed her that night and if I got up and went to her tent, I could probably still seal the deal. So in this case, fantasizing about her seemed somehow wrong.

But I couldn't help it and I couldn't stop. It was the only way I could find release that night. Alison might forgive me for it, but I didn't know if I could ever forgive myself.


	18. Chapter 18

**I know there isn't a lot of House in these chapters, but Michael's story needs to be told right now. There isn't too much more to go and we will get back to House eventually. Again, I thank everyone for reading my story and for your reviews if you're so inclined to leave one.**

Chapter 18

_**Michael's Journal**_

A day or two later, Ruiz returned to take me back to Ramone's village. I left Nita with a brief goodbye. There was sadness in her eyes as she bid me goodbye.

On our journey back, I told Ruiz what Nita had said.

"I don't knew whether to believe her or not. A lot of the people said the same thing. But I just can't see Ramone killing his friend for no reason."

Ruiz was silent for a long time. I waited for him to speak, but I didn't push him. Finally, he said, "She told the truth. Ramone did kill Hector Lopez."

"And what did you have to do with that?"

"Ah, she told you that I betrayed him?"

"Yes."

He was silent again.

"Apparently, the people don't know where you came from or why you suddenly appeared to be at Ramone's side."

He nodded. "I know."

"Is there nothing you can tell me?"

He took a deep breath. "Are we friends?"

"How the hell do I know? I thought so, but I'm finding out things that I didn't know. And you've never told me very much about yourself, so how can I say? How can I trust anything you do say?"

"I know."

Once again, we traveled in silence. There really wasn't anything I wanted to say to him at that point. I didn't trust him.

When he finally decided to speak, his words shocked the hell out of me. Not just his words, but how he spoke them.

In clear, totally un-accented English, he said, "How about those Phillies?"

"What? What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm a big fan of the Phillies. I like the Eagles, Sixers and Flyers too, but the Phillies, man, they're my team."

It wasn't just un-accented English, it was pure American.

"Jesus, you're an American!"

"Yep."

I stared at him. I'm pretty sure my mouth dropped open. It took me some time to find my voice.

"But how…why…?"

"Military, special ops. We came down here to help clean up the Marino situation."

"Christ, you're American!" I said again.

"Born and raised in South Philadelphia."

"But your Spanish is flawless."

"My mom is Puerto Rican. My name, by the way, is not Ruiz, it's Ross. Tony Ross."

"Christ!"

I couldn't believe it. But maybe I could. Maybe I'd always known. There was always a connection between us and I knew that there was something about him, something that made us kindred spirits.

"Does Ramone know?" I asked him.

"No. At least, I don't believe he does. You can never tell with him. But since he hasn't killed me yet, if he does know, he's okay with using me to help him with his cause."

"Are you helping his cause?"

"Yes. A few years back, our government began to get intel that Marino was not what we thought he was. And we realized that we'd made a mistake in helping him into power. So we wanted to help Ramone."

"So our government gets involved again in other people's affairs."

He shrugged. "That's the way it goes."

"Christ!" I said again.

He smiled. "So, how about those Phillies?"

This was so much to process, but at that moment, I understood why I'd felt a connection to him. "Actually, I'm more of a Mets fan myself." I told him.

"Oh, man, you're killing me! New York boy! Well, at least you didn't say the Yankees."

"No way!"

We smiled and I knew I'd made a friend.

I thought about all he'd said for awhile and then asked him, "So you never told me, did you betray Hector Lopez."

He looked away, then said. "Yes, I did."

"Why?"

"It all had to do with my mission. Hector was a threat to Ramone. He needed to be eliminated."

"Why didn't you kill him?"

"I would have, but Ramone did it first."

"I can't believe he would kill someone in cold blood. Especially someone who was a friend."

"You should talk to him about it. Just don't tell him about me."

"Why did you tell me? Aren't you afraid I'll reveal it?"

"You might. But I may need you on my side. Or I may need to get you out of here quickly. It's better if you know the truth."

"Why…"

"No more questions, Mike. Talk to Ramone if you want. And stay alert. I don't like that we ran into that woman."

No matter how I pressed, he wouldn't say any more about his mission or the politics. Instead he told me about his childhood in Philadelphia. His mother had taught him Spanish at the same time he was learning to talk English. That was why he spoke like a native. And since he'd inherited her coloring, he looked like one as well. She had also told him lots of stories of growing up in a poor village in Puerto Rico. He was able to use those stories to create a mythical childhood for himself in Jacinta. By not saying too much, but using those stories when he did speak, he made himself believable.

Even though I knew there was something different about him, I certainly would never have suspected he was an American military man.

"Both of my grandfathers were career marines. And my uncle still is." I told him.

"Yeah? Wow. How about your father?"

I laughed. "God, no. He hates the military life. I don't know of anyone who could tell Greg House what to do."

"And what about you?"

I'd never thought about it. Guys I'd gone to school with had joined to get free education, then had it kick them in the ass when they'd been sent to Iraq or Afghanistan. My mom's brother, my Uncle Vince, had tried to convince me to join up, but it just hadn't interested me.

It still didn't. I wanted to help people, but on my terms, not on the government. If I'd known that my desire to help would get me involved in this mess, I wouldn't have done it. I didn't think I was wrong for coming here, but I also didn't think it was the best decision I could have made either.

**Sorry if I offended any Yankees fans, but I'm a Philly girl myself and the Phillies are my team! Love you anyway (even if you are a Yankee fan - LOL!)**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

_**Michael's Journal**_

When I returned to Ramone's village, I went to see him. He greeted me warmly, but I had questions for him.

"Tell me about Hector Lopez."

He looked at me strangely. "How do you know that name?"

"Was he your friend?"

"Yes. We grew up together. My father died when I was a boy and his father took me under his wing and helped me to become a man. Hector was my best friend."

I was confused. He was saying what Nita had told me, but…

"What happened to him?"

With no inflection in his voice, he told me, "I killed him. And I killed his father."

I was incredulous. "You killed him? Your best friend? And a man who had been a father to you? How could you do that?"

"I did what had to be done."

"How can you say that?" I stormed at him. "They were people! You're no better than Marino killing people!"

"No." He said forcefully. "I am not. Marino kills for his own narcissism, for his own gain. I only kill those who would harm my country and my people."

"Very little difference from where I sit."

"From where you sit? What do you know? You are a privileged American. The most narcissistic nation in the world. 'Oh, look at me, I am an American. I am wonderful. I go to that poor country and help those poor ignorant people.' It disgusts me."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You've been more than willing to accept my help."

"Yes, I have. I will do anything to help my people. Including killing those who would harm them. Or making alliances with Americans."

I just glared at him.

"Almosa raped your wife. Would you kill him?"

I was silent. He knew I would gladly kill that animal if I had the chance.

He nodded. "Of course. He hurt your woman whom you love. This is no different. These people have raped my country, my people whom I love."

"It's not the same."

He slammed his fist on the desk. "It is the same! Marino has cheated and stolen from the country for years. He lives in luxury with his mistresses. How do I live? Two miserable rooms. I haven't seen my wife in years. There is no woman to warm my bed. My children grow up without a father."

"So why do it?"

"Because this is my land. I must do this. But why do you, Miguel? This isn't your country."

"I came to help."

"There is nothing to help in your country, for your people?"

He took me by surprise with the question. "Well, yeah, I guess, I never really thought…"

"Ah. So if there are those who need your help in your home, why travel here? Does it make you feel better to help those uncivilized people in Jacinta that you would normally look down on?"

"We came to help!"

"Yes, and you left your daughter. If you died here, what would happen to her?"

"My parents would raise her."

"That is not the same as her father and mother, you know that. I left my children and wish that I could be with them, but this was something I had to do to secure their future in a country where they could grow up free. You left your daughter to make yourself feel better."

"I – I …" I sputtered.

"Would anything you do here make your daughter's life better? Would dying here do anything for her?"

I looked at my feet and shook my head. "No." I said quietly.

He nodded. "Just so, Miguel. I have killed people. I will kill others. But what I do here will affect my children. And the children of others around me. And all of their children. Even if I die in this struggle, their lives will be better."

He was right. When Alison and I had come here, we were so sure that what we were doing was good and noble, but was it really? Sure, we had worked and helped people. But it had almost killed us and Alison was dealing with having been attacked. What had our motives really been?

I was silent, thinking about his words. He was silent too, but when he spoke, it was to question me.

"How did you find out about Hector?"

"I met his wife."

"Wife? Hector had no wife."

"Maybe you didn't know."

"I knew. He had no wife. What is her name?"

"Nita Lopez."

He considered this, then asked, "What does she look like?"

"Dark curly hair, dark green eyes, killer body."

He thought some more, then his face was alight. "Nita! Peranita Valenzio."

"You know who she is?"

"Yes, I know her. She was not Hector's wife, but she was his lover. Unfortunately, she was also Marino's mistress. When he found out she'd been with Hector, he discarded her. Marino may have as many women as he wishes, but his women must be faithful to him only. Peranita was bitter when he no longer wanted her. She worked with Hector to uncover the revolutionaries. She believed that would bring her back to Marino's good graces.

"I believe she is still pursuing that end. We must be careful, Miguel. She may have followed you here."

"I doubt it. Ruiz brought me back."

"He is not infallible." He walked to his desk and opened a drawer. He pulled something out and held it out to me.

It was a gun.

"What's this?" I asked.

"It's a gun."

"I know that. I mean, why are you giving it to me?"

"She is dangerous. You need to be able to protect yourself. Take it."

I hated the idea of a gun, but I knew he was right. I took it and shoved it into the back waistband of my trousers, as I'd seen Ruiz do with a handgun.

**Sorry no House in this chapter either, but Michael's story has to be told right now. Thanks for reading!**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

_**Michael's Journal**_

Ramone was smart to give me the gun as it turned out. A few days later, Tony (hard to think of him as Ruiz now!) told me that someone was sneaking around the village. We were all on high alert. We knew that most of the people living there would never betray Ramone, but you never knew if someone was a traitor.

Someone was. Nita Lopez snuck in one night and was led to Ramone's quarters by none other than my nemesis Almosa. Ramone had given him a dressing down about his attack on Alison and had stripped him of most of the power he'd had. I could see the resentment in him every time he looked at Ramone or me. It hadn't bothered me, because I hated him even more than he hated me.

But now it seemed that resentment had turned into outright hatred and betrayal. It was by dumb luck that I wasn't killed that night. I was heading to Ramone's to talk with him when one of the children stopped me to ask about Alison. I spoke to the little girl for about ten minutes, gave her a hug and told her that I would tell "Dr. Alison" that she missed her.

When I entered the house, I heard a raised, angry voice with Ramone's. A female voice. I stayed in the shadows, out of sight.

The woman was Nita Lopez. She was facing Ramone, with her back to me. She had a gun that she was aiming at him.

She was railing at him about all of the things he'd done.

"Hector was your friend and you killed him!"

"He was Marino's man and I couldn't take the chance that he would turn the rebels over to Marino."

"Your cause meant more than your friendship?"

'Stop it, Nita. You didn't care about Hector. You're angry because Marino tossed you aside. You blame me for that."

"You were the one who let him know!"

"Of course. You would have betrayed me to him. I didn't care about you, not then, not now."

"Oh, it's all about your cause, your precious people!" she spat out.

"It is." Ramone's eyes drifted carefully to the shadow in the back of the room. I knew that he saw me, but he didn't give it away.

I waited for the right moment. If Ramone could distract her, I could take her off guard and get her to drop her weapon.

I was sweating. I was sure my heart was beating loud enough for everyone to hear.

I had never done anything like this before. I had never held a gun in my hand and attempted to point it at someone. I was a doctor. My job was to protect life, not threaten to take it.

I didn't know if I would be able to do this. Then I saw her cock the gun and I knew she was ready to shoot Ramone.

I stepped out and said, "Drop it, Nita."

She turned her head slightly towards me when she heard my voice. "Of course you would be here, caro." She said in her sultry voice. There was the merest smile on her face and a look in her eye that spoke volumes.

"I said drop the gun."

She laughed then. "You won't kill me, caro. You are not capable of it."

"I have a gun in my hand, Nita. Don't test me." I told her, even though I felt she was probably right and I would be unable to pull the trigger."

She laughed again, all the time keeping one eye on Ramone and the other on me as she said, "Michael, put your gun down. I am going to kill this devil and then I will lead these people. You can help me! You are a doctor. The people love you. We can take over and have everything."

I shook my head. "That's where you're wrong, Nita. Ramone didn't take over. He earned the people's respect by working with them and for them. And he has nothing except their respect. You'll never understand that."

Her eyes grew cold then. "You stupid American! I offer you everything, including me, and you stand by this piece of garbage!"

She turned her attention back to Ramone then. "Time's up, General. Say goodbye to your precious people."

She aimed the gun and I knew what I had to do. I held my breath and pulled the trigger.

She looked at me once more before she fell. Her face showed her astonishment. She never thought I would do it. I never thought so either.

I watched her crumple to the ground. I had held this woman and kissed her. I had contemplated making love to her and I had imagined myself doing just that. And now I had killed her.

Tony came up beside me and pried the gun out of my hand. Then he put his hand on my shoulder and pushed me out of the room. I hadn't even known he was there.

I tried to turn back, "I should see if she's still alive, if there's anything I can…"

"She's dead, Mike. There's nothing you can do."

"But—"

"I know. I've been there. I can never forget the first person I killed."

I looked at him. His eyes were intense as he looked at me. Tony always seemed so nice, so normal that sometimes I forgot that he was a soldier who had probably killed lots of people.

"How many?" I asked him.

He looked away from me. "I've lost count. More than I care to remember."

"Does it get easier?"

"Nope."

We were silent for a while, thinking about that.

"I'm a doctor." I said.

He nodded.

"I'm supposed to save lives, not take them."

He nodded again, then asked me the same question Ramone had. "Would you kill Almosa?"

When Ramone had asked that, I'd been ready to answer yes with no hesitation. But right then, after holding a gun in my hand, pulling a trigger and taking a life, I didn't know if my answer would be the same.

He nodded once more. "You'll be fine. You're not a killer, Mike. You're a man who did what he had to do to save a friend's life."

I sighed and we walked away, but the danger wasn't over. As I entered my hut, I felt a sharp pain in my leg and I fell. I looked up to see Almosa's ugly face above me, gun in his hand.

He laughed. "Time for you to die, Americano. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. Too bad your wife isn't here too. I'd like to fuck her one more time before you die. She was a pretty good fuck for a skinny American. And she liked it too. You didn't hear her moan when I was fucking her."

I couldn't get up, but I wanted to wring his neck. I was bleeding from the gunshot wound. He raised the gun and pointed it at me. I knew this was the moment I would die.


	21. Chapter 21

I** know that I have been terribly derelict in responding to your wonderful reviews. I'd like to blame something for it, so let's make it Facebook games. Totally addicting! Anyway, I do appreciate my readers - more than you can know!**

**Sorry for the cliffhanger last time. All will be answered here.**

Chapter 21

Since they'd begun treating Teresa Ramone, Michael had called almost every day. Even after the girl was in the rehab facility, he still called every day or so. When almost a week went by with no call, his family began to worry. But since they didn't have any way to get in touch with him, they had to just wait.

They were gathered in the den. Brianna was sitting on House's lap, as she loved to do and the two of them were watching a movie. Alison was reading and Marianne was sketching. The doorbell rang and Marianne got up to answer it.

She came back in a few seconds later.

"Alison, someone is here to see you." She told her daughter-in-law.

Perplexed, Alison came out to the living room. Curious, House put the baby down and followed her. She stopped in shock when she saw the man standing there was Ruiz, Ramone's lieutenant.

In stuttering Spanish, Alison began saying, "What are you doing here…?"

But he answered her in perfect, un-accented English, "It's okay, Dr. Newman. You don't have to speak Spanish."

Despite her shock, Alison remembered her manners. "Uh, Marianne, House, this is Antonio Ruiz…"

He interrupted her again. "Actually, the name is Tony Ross. I'm an American."

"But you were working with Ramone! He trusted you."

"I know. That was the plan."

"Are you a spy?" Marianne asked.

"Almost. Military, special ops."

"Oh, god." House muttered disgustedly, almost under his breath. But Tony heard him.

"Do you have a problem with the military, Dr. House?"

"Yes, I do. And how do you know who I am?"

"Michael told me about his father, Doctor Gregory House."

"Michael knows who you are?" Alison asked.

"Yes, I told him."

"Is he alright?" Marianne wanted to know.

Tony hesitated and took a breath before saying, "Yes. I think he will be."

All three of them sat at attention. "What happened to him?" Alison asked.

"I'd like to tell you, if I may?"

"Of course." Marianne said. "Sit down, please Mr. Ross. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, beer, soda?"

"A coke would be great. I haven't had one in a really long time."

House was impatient and wanted to hear about his son, but Marianne insisted and got drinks for everyone before they sat down to listen to what Tony had to tell them.

But first Alison had to ask, "Where is Michael?"

"Actually, he's on his way home. He should be here in a few hours. I'm waiting for a call."

House was suspicious. "What happened to him?"

Tony took a deep breath and told them about Michael visiting the villages and his encounter with Nita Lopez. He left out the attraction he knew that Michael had for the woman. If he wanted his wife to know that, he would tell her.

Then he told them how Michael had saved Ramone's life by killing Nita.

"He was still upset about that when he went back to his hut. And that's when he encountered Almosa."

Alison stiffened at the sound of the name. "What—why-?"

"Almosa was the one who revealed Ramone's location to Nita. She found us because of him. He didn't know she was dead. He was there to kill Michael."

_**Michael's Journal**_

I saw Almosa's gun pointed at me and knew this would be the end of my life. I'd never get a chance to hold my wife again, to see my daughter, my parents ever again. I closed my eyes and heard the shot ring out.

But I didn't feel any pain. I opened my eyes and saw Almosa lying on the ground beside me. I looked up and Tony was there, with his gun in his hand.

He came over to me. "Mike, are you okay?"

"You killed him."

"Yeah, no big loss. He was a piece of scum. Not just for what he did to your wife. He was working with Nita."

"He was? Why? And how did you know?"

"Ramone dressed him down for what he did to your wife. And took away most of his power. He was pissed. So he teamed up with Nita to betray Ramone."

I looked at the man lying there dead. I wasn't sad that he was dead. But…

Tony looked at me. "You wanted to be the one to kill him."

I nodded.

"You wouldn't have done it. Not today, not right after you killed Nita. You're feeling enough guilt right now for that."

I sighed. He was probably right.

Then Tony looked at my leg. "Christ, Mike, you're bleeding like shit! We need to get you taken care of."

"There's a box of medical supplies by my bed." I told him. "I keep them there in case someone needed us during the night."

Tony pulled the box over and opened it. With his help, we managed to get my leg bandaged and the bleeding to stop.

"The bullet is still in there. We need to get it out."

"There's no other doctor in the area to do it."

"I know. Wait here."

He left and returned about twenty minutes later with Ramone

"You're going home." He said.

"What? No, I need to…"

"You need to get out of here. Nita did not work alone. There were more than just Almosa working with her. And when her minions find out you killed her, your ass is grass."

Ramone nodded. "Miguel, you saved my life. Now, let me save yours. You have done much here to help my people. I am thankful that you came. But now you must go home."

"But you don't have any other doctors." I protested.

"I will find another doctor. But your work here is finished. You saved me, you saved my daughter, and you helped my people. Now go home to your family."

"I want to…"

"You want to help more. I know." He nodded. "But not here. Are there not people in your country that you can help? Because I feel you will always offer your help to others."

I thought about what he was saying. And I knew that he was right. I was finished here.

**One more chapter to go after this. Thanks so much for your response. Oh, and in case anyone is interested: Remember when I started this story, I told all of you that my inspiration was my daughter going to study in London? Well, she's home now. She had a wonderful time, a great experience and even got to do an internship with Alexander McQueen (the designer for Princess Kate's dress!). So now I will bring Michael safely home.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Actually, I lied to you. This isn't the final chapter, there's one more after this. It was the way I had them labeled. For my friends who are Cameron fans, I have tried here to rescue her character from the assasination the show's writers did to it.**

Chapter 22

"I had him flown to a military hospital in Florida. It was the closest place I could get him to so that the bullet could be removed from his leg. He's been in the hospital for about a week." Tony told them.

Not long after Tony finished, his cell phone rang. He answered, listening to what was said and just responding, "yes,' several times. Then he ended the call and looked at the people gathered there.

"Mike will be here within two hours. They've just put him on a plane. A car will meet it and bring him here."

He was true to his word. A large black car pulled up to the condo. When they heard the car, all of them ran outside and watched as the driver opened the door and Michael stepped out, leaning on a cane.

Alison reached him first and fell into his arms.

"Oh, my God!" she said, "You're here. You're alive and you're here."

He put his arms around her and whispered, "I'm home, baby. I'm not leaving you ever again."

She had to hold back the tears, but she had an excuse to step aside and hide them, because Marianne was right behind her, itching to hug her son.

He smiled. "Hi, Mom."

"Oh, Michael." Was all she said. She didn't try to hide the tears that were dripping from her eyes as she hugged him.

He gave her a squeeze and looked over her shoulder to his father. House was standing a few feet back with a solemn expression that Michael knew was adopted to hide any embarrassing displays of emotion.

Marianne moved aside and smiled at her husband.

Michael lifted the cane. "We match."

"Yours is only temporary. Anyway, it takes style to rock the gimp look. Don't know if you've got it, kid."

Michael just smiled and took a few steps towards his father. When he reached him, he gave him an awkward hug. Awkward because House was trying to act as if he didn't care if he got one and Michael was trying to pretend it was more important to him than House.

Then House stepped back and said, "You should get inside and rest your leg." He turned and headed back to the condo.

Not long after, Michael was resting with his leg on a stool, while Marianne made as much food as she could for her son. Tony stood nearby.

"I'll be leaving soon, Mike." He told him.

"Where?"

"Well, I'm going to make a quick trip to Philly to see my mom. I can't be only an hour away and not stop by."

"Good idea."

"Then I'll pick up Teresa and bring her back to her mother."

"You're going back to Jacinta?"

"I have to. My assignment isn't finished."

"When will it be?"

"Once we get an election and the people choose their leader."

"Will Ramone run?"

"Doubt it. That's not his game. He wanted to get the people to that point, but once they're there, he's going back to his family and his life."

"Amazing."

"I know." Tony shook his head. "Anyway, when the job's done and I come back, I am taking you to a Phillies game. You have to see what you've been missing."

Michael smiled. House was walking into the room at that point.

"Yeah," he said, "Do you believe this idiot? The Mets! Give me a break. But at least it's not the Yankees."

Tony and Michael laughed.

"What?" House asked.

"We're more alike than you'd believe, Dr. House." Tony told him.

"Now there's no call to insult me."

A few minutes later, Tony departed. Michael's family gathered around him, just happy to have him there with them.

They all listened to his account of what had happened, amazed and thankful he was still alive. But House saw that it was time for his son to spend time with his wife.

He nudged Marianne out of the room. He knew that Michael and Alison needed to talk and they needed to be alone to do it.

Once his parents had left, Michael smiled at Alison. "I missed you so much, Al."

"I missed you too. And I've been talking to a doctor. I'm beginning to deal with…what happened."

"I'm really glad to hear that." He looked down, afraid to meet her eyes. "There's something I need to tell you."

She looked at him, perplexed.

"I killed someone."

"Tony told us. You saved Ramone's life."

"But I killed someone! I'm a doctor, I'm supposed to save lives and I destroyed one."

"Michael, do you really think I would hate you for that? What kind of person do you think I am?"

"I think you're a wonderful, compassionate person, but I'm scared that eventually it will bother you that I held a gun in my hand and killed Nita Lopez."

She stared at her hands for a moment. "Will it bother you eventually that the bastard …did what he did?"

"Of course not! You didn't have a choice there."

'You didn't either, Michael. I'm not that shallow. I love you."

"But I killed…"

"Stop it! If you look at it that way, so did I. I told you about Ezra Pound."

"That's different, he was dying. You just saved him a lot of pain."

She took his hand in hers. "If you hadn't killed her, a lot of other people would have died. You saved the country and its people a lot of pain. You did a good thing."

He pulled her into his arms and held her tight.

"I love you so much."

"I love you too. I'm just so happy you're home and I want you to be okay."

"I think now I will be."

**And that is what she should have said to Chase. But the writers choose to make the female characters into bitches. Oh, well. Next chapter will be the last.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Well, folks this is the last chapter. Thanks so much to those who have stuck with this and have read my other stories as well.**

Chapter 23

Alison had been staying with House and Marianne, but now that Michael had returned, they decided to move back to their own house.

Michael knew he should go back to work, even though Cuddy had told him to take as much time as he needed. She knew that both of these young doctors had been through a lot and would need some time to readjust.

But the more Michael thought about going back to work, the more it didn't seem right to him. Even though things had gone terribly wrong in some ways in Jacinta, he had really been happy caring for the people there. People who really needed him.

But he knew he couldn't go running off again. For one thing, Alison would not be able to handle it and he didn't want to be separated from her. For another, his daughter deserved to have her own parents raise her. It hadn't been fair of them to leave her. If they had died there, she would have been left an orphan.

Still, there had to be some way he could feel that contentment without putting his family in jeopardy.

He considered the problem as he "recovered" from his gunshot wound. He used the time to do some research on the internet. When an idea came to him, he started making some phone calls.

Once a plan had formed in his head, he spoke to his wife about it. At first she was hesitant, but as he explained it to her and she realized how important it was to him, she got on board and offered her own suggestions.

They discussed it further, made a few more phone calls and started to develop a workable plan.

Everything was falling together. Now came the hard part: telling House about it.

He began talking to Michael about when he would be coming back to work. He had taken on another doctor temporarily and had pretty much told the guy that he would soon be out of a job.

Michael knew that before this doctor left, he'd have to come clean to his father.

Finally, he could wait no longer. They were having dinner one evening, when Michael began. "Dad, I've had a lot of time to think while I've been recuperating."

"Of course you have." House told him. "You've milked this longer than you needed to."

"You knew?"

House just raised an eyebrow and one side of his mouth.

"You didn't rat me out." Michael said. "Or browbeat me."

House shrugged. "If you needed some time to be a slug, that's your business."

Michael was silent for a few moments, then he took a deep breath. "I haven't actually been a slug. I've been doing some research."

His father nodded. "I wouldn't expect you to spend your days with Jerry Springer."

"I've been researching what I want to do with the rest of my life."

House narrowed his eyes. "You want to be a doctor. That's what you are, what you'll always be. When you're ready, you'll come back to work and…"

"Yes, of course I'm always a doctor." Michael interrupted. "But, Dad, the thing is, I'm not coming back to work at Princeton Plainsboro."

House stared at him. "Please do not tell me that you're going back to that shithole!"

"Nope. Finding another shithole, just closer to home."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm opening up a clinic in Camden, in the poorest part of the city."

House was speechless. When he finally spoke, it was loud. "Why the fuck would you want to do a stupid thing like that? You're Harvard medical, you're one of the smartest doctors I know and you've worked for me. You could write your own ticket anywhere you want."

"I know."

"So – "

"I went to Jacinta because I wanted to help people and you were right, we shouldn't have gone. We put our lives in danger and almost orphaned our daughter. What we should have done was help people in this country. And there are a lot of them that need help. So that's what I'm going to do."

House turned to Alison. "Are you going to let your husband do this?"

"I agree with him." She said. "It's a good idea."

"Do you really want to be with all of those people after what happened to you?"

There was a brief flicker of pain in her eyes before she said, "Who could better help those women than one who's been there?"

"Meg, help me here!"

"She's right." Marianne said. "And so is Michael."

"This is bullshit!" House was livid. "You just come home from a war zone and now you want to go back into one? Do you really understand what Camden, New Jersey is like?"

"No, but I have a good idea. And I think I will soon find out. Those people need medical care and I'm going to give it to them."

"How will you support yourself? Free clinic means no one pays."

"I still have the trust fund from my dad. I haven't really used any and it's well-invested. My house is paid for. We'll be okay."

"And what about supplies for this clinic? Where will they come from? Will you have staff? Who's going to pay for them?"

"I haven't worked it all out yet. But there are corporate sponsors and charitable foundations. I'll apply to all of them, to anyone I can. I'll figure it out. But I am going to do this."

Marianne put her hand on her husband's arm. "At least he'll be here doing it. We can see him."

House glared at her as well, then stormed out of the room.

_**Michael's Journal**_

Making the decision to start that clinic was easier than I thought it would be. I'm not kidding myself that getting it up and actually running it will be easy, but _deciding_ to do it? That was a no-brainer.

The hard part was telling my father. I knew what his reaction would be and he didn't disappoint. Still, I know that he loves me and he'll support me in this, no matter what. And if I manage to send him an occasional interesting puzzle, he'll be happy.

And this is the right thing for Alison and me. I'll rope as many other doctors as I can into it, even if they can only give me a day a week or a day a month. It will all help.

Last night I made love once again to my beautiful wife. That was awesome.

Tomorrow I'll start working on my clinic.

Life is good.

The End

**I'm not sure what my next Hosue story will be. I may need to see what they do with the premier. I am working on a story that is non-House, but does use Hugh Laurie as an inspiration. I'm not sure where I'll post it at this point. If anyone out there might be interested in reading it, send me a private message and I'll let you know when it's ready.**

**I love all of you! Thanks so much for reading and commenting.**


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